Parish 
Evangelism 

FREDEMCK  L.  FAGLEY 


15/CALSlV^^'^^  ' 


Fagley,  Frederick  Louis, 

1879- 
Parish  evangelism 


1  O  9  1 


Parish  Evangelism 


^n?0iS5j^^ 


Parish  Evangel 

An  Outline  of  a  Year's  Program 


936183    ''O      I 


By 


i.>4i 


FREDERICK  L.'^FAGLEY 

Executive  Secretary  the  Commission  on  Evangelism 
of  the  Natioftal  Council  of  Congregational  Churches 


Introduction  by 
CHARLES  L.  GOODELL,  D.D. 

Of  the  Federal  Council  of  the  Churches 
of  Christ  in  America 


New  York  Chicago 

Fleming     H.     Revell     Company 


London 


AND 


Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1 921,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago':  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London :  2 1  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh :      75    Princes     Street 


Introduction 

WHO  shall  lead  the  parish  if  not  the  pastor? 
How  shall  he  lead  if  he  himself  knows 
not  the  way  ?  These  are  not  the  days  for 
little  men.  If  there  are  anywhere  men  of  light  and 
leading,  prophets  and  seers,  this  is  the  day  for  which 
they  were  born. 

*'  The  bravest  of  men  may  find  stern  work  to  do 
In  the  day  of  the  Lord  at  hand." 

At  such  a  time  every  pastor  must  seek  first  for 
spiritual  power  and  then  for  such  methods  as  will 
best  vitalize  that  power  in  the  great  task  for  which 
he  is  commissioned.  If  he  is  like  his  Master,  he  is  a 
lover  of  men,  father  and  brother,  shepherd  and  physi- 
cian of  souls.  If  he  goes  to  battle  against  the  world, 
the  flesh  and  all  evil,  it  is  not  to  a  charge  or  a  single 
battle  but  to  a  campaign  that  he  must  address  him- 
self. He  must  lay  siege  to  the  community.  If  he  is 
wise,  he  is  not  after  an  audience  but  a  congregation, 
not  a  crowd  for  an  hour,  but  a  company  whom  he 
can  lead  in  worship  and  service,  and  whom  he  under- 
takes to  build  up  in  their  most  holy  faith. 

It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  for  every  pastor  to  supple- 
ment his  own  experience  by  that  of  others ;  to  study 
carefully  those  methods  and  plans  which  have  been 
honoured  of  God  and  shown  to  be  effective  in  pro- 
ducing the  results  for  which  his  soul  longs.     It  will 

5 


6  INTEODUCTION 

broaden  his  outlook  and  give  him  increasing  confi- 
dence to  undertake  large  and  far-reaching  results. 
For  this  I  know  no  book  better  than  "  Parish  Evan- 
gelism." It  is  the  product  of  the  experience  of  many 
of  the  most  successful  pastors  in  the  country.  The 
atmosphere  of  the  book  is  eminently  sane  and  prac- 
tical, and  at  the  same  time  deeply  spiritual. 

Dr.  Fagley  is  a  master  spiritual  diagnostician.  He 
knows  what  the  times  require  and  addresses  himself 
to  vital  concerns.  Every  chapter  is  full  of  meat. 
It  will  revolutionize  many  a  parish,  if  the  pastor  will 
follow  Chapter  II,  and,  instead  of  trying  to  do  all  the 
work  himself  and  ending  in  nervous  prostration  or  a 
broken  heart,  have  the  joy  of  showing  his  people 
that  there  are  not  two  kinds  of  religion,  one  for  the 
pulpit  and  another  for  the  pew,  but  that  pastor  and 
people  can  have  common  share  in  the  toil  and  in  the 
glorious  reward  of  spiritual  service. 

The  chapters  on  Visitation,  on  Preaching,  on  the 
Pastor's  Training  Class,  and  on  the  Prayer  Life  of 
the  People  are  of  thrilling  interest  and  most  reward- 
ing. 

If  any  pastor  does  not  know  what  path  to  take  for 
evangelistic  services,  this  book  points  the  way. 
Now — Forward!     March!  ! 

Charles  L.  Gk)ODELL,  D.  D. 
Federal  Council, 
New  York  City. 


Preface 

THAT  the  work  of  the  Christian  Church  may 
be    programmed    to    advantage    has    been 
demonstrated  by  the  experience  of  many 
successful  pastors  and  effective  churches. 

A  study  of  the  method  and  the  message  of  many 
of  these  churches  has  been  the  basis  on  which  the 
material  here  presented  has  been  prepared.  There 
is  nothing  new  or  untried  suggested  here — for  every 
plan  has  been  used  by  pastors  in  churches  of  many 
denominations. 

The  program  which  is  the  basis  of  the  discussion 
has  been  endorsed  by  several  denominations,  by  many 
City  and  State  Federations,  by  the  Commission  on 
Evangelism  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the  Churches 
of  Christ  in  America  and  by  hundreds  of  pastors  who 
have  tried  it  and  found  it  helpful. 

It  is  sent  out  with  the  hope  that  it  may  be  sug- 
gestive to  ministers  and  church  workers  of  the  vari- 
ous churches  of  our  Christian  Brotherhood. 

F  L  F 

New  York,  N.Y, 


Contents 

I. 

Parish   Evangelism  is  Natural,  Ef- 
fective AND  Scriptural 

II 

II. 

The     Membership    or    Evangelistic 
Committee 

i8 

III. 

Planning  the  Year's  Work 

28 

IV. 

Fall  Activities          .... 

40 

V. 

Fall  Visitation  and  Pastoral  Calling 

51 

VI. 

January  to  Easter      .... 

60 

VII. 

Program  of  Preaching 

69 

VIII. 

The  Pastor's  Training  Class 

78 

IX. 

Personal  Work          .... 

88 

X. 

Deepening  the  Prayer  Life  of  the 
People          

98 

XI. 

Holy  Week  and  Easter     . 

108 

XII 

After  Easter    .        .        .        . 

115 

PARISH  EVANGELISM  IS  NATURAL, 
EFFECTIVE  AND  SCRIPTURAL 

PARISH  Evangelism  is  no  new  or  strange  type 
of  evangelism.  It  is  as  old  as  the  New 
Testament  and  as  simple  as  the  method  of 
Jesus.  It  is  the  cooperation  of  a  pastor  and  his  peo- 
ple in  definitely  planned  religious  work  to  enlist  in 
the  Christian  life  and  service  those  persons  for  whom 
their  church  is  most  responsible.  It  is  the  experi- 
ence of  many  churches  that  are  doing  eifective  work 
in  evangelism  that  if  their  efforts  be  directed  along 
the  lines  of  a  well-defined  program  the  results  will 
be  far  greater  than  if  the  efforts  are  undirected. 
This  form  of  evangelism  is  fundamental,  natural, 
effective;  its  results  are  permanent,  and  it  is  scrip- 
tural. 

Fundamental.  In  the  first  place,  parish  evangelism 
is  the  fundamental  activity  of  the  church.  To  enlist 
men  and  women  in  Christian  worship  and  service  is 
what  the  church  is  organized  to  do.  We  have  this 
conception  of  the  church's  work  very  clearly  in  mind 
whenever  we  think  of  foreign  missions;  for  while 
we  recognize  the  fact  that  the  foreign  missionary 
program  includes  schools,  hospitals,  agricultural 
projects  and  social  reform,  yet  we  all  have  in  mind 

II 


12  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

as  the  one  great  aim  of  foreign  missionary  service 
the  enlisting  of  men  and  women  in  the  service  of 
Christ  and  their  training  in  Christian  living. 

We  recognize  also  that  the  evangelistic  work  of 
the  home  missionary  church  is  by  all  means  its  most 
important  service.  The  first  question  asked  of  a 
home  missionary  enterprise  relates  not  to  its  educa- 
tional, social  service  or  other  activities — all  of  ex- 
ceeding great  value  in  themselves,  as  well  as  in  rela- 
tion to  the  whole  Christian  enterprise — ^but  we  do 
ask,  first  of  all,  of  any  home  missionary  project. 
What  have  you  done  and  what  are  you  doing  to  win 
men  to  Christ? 

When  we  consider  our  home  church,  however,  we 
are  often  a  bit  hazy  in  our  thinking.  We  think  of  it  as 
an  institution  essential  for  the  development  of  Chris- 
tian culture  and  the  training  of  the  saints ;  as  a  hotbed 
in  which  are  germinated  all  sorts  of  worth-while 
community  enterprises,  or  as  a  platform  for  the  pre- 
sentation of  high  ideals  of  Christian  duty.  All  these 
things  are  essential  to  Christian  civilization  and  they 
should  not  be  left  undone,  but  doing  them  does  not 
make  less  the  responsibility  of  the  Church  that  it  be 
true  to  the  great  foundation  principle  of  its  life — the 
bringing  of  people  into  vital  relationship  with  God. 
Parish  evangelism,  which  seeks  to  bring  men  to  Christ 
and  enlist  them  in  the  worship  and  service  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  a  natural  way,  is  the  most  vital 
and  fundamental  activity  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Natural.  Parish  evangelism  is  a  natural  form  of 
Christian  activity.  It  looks  upon  the  church  as  a 
growing  organism  which  builds  itself  in  natural  ways, 


PAEISH  EVANGELISM  IS  NATUEAL     13 

enlarging  its  life  through  the  activities  of  its  mem- 
bers and  inspired,  not  only  as  to  growth  but  also  as 
to  the  direction  of  its  growth,  by  the  spiritual  life 
which  gives  it  reality.  Every  living  organism  is  bound 
by  the  unchanging  law  of  growth — that  it  must  either 
renew  its  life  or  die.  This  is  an  inevitable  require- 
ment of  living  things.  Again,  life  is  the  develop- 
ment of  a  germ  which  has  been  endowed  with  the 
power  of  growth  and  this  growth  results  directly 
from  the  activity  of  the  various  parts  of  the  plant  or 
animal  body.  Biology  has  taught  us  much  concern- 
ing the  many  ways  in  which  the  divine  principle  of 
life  works  itself  out  in  its  environment  and  that  in 
doing  this  it  follows  certain  laws. 

The  church  is  a  living  body  and  its  life  is  directed 
also  by  some  fundamental  laws.  Among  these  are, 
that  it  must  renew  its  life  or  die ;  that  it  must  grow 
from  within,  that  is,  from  the  center  of  spiritual  life 
which  gives  it  being  and  reality;  and  that  its  own 
activity  is  essential  to  its  growth.  Through  a  pro- 
gram of  parish  evangelism  the  church  sets  itself  to 
study  its  own  life  and  seeks  to  renew  and  to  expand 
that  life.  By  so  doing  the  church  not  only  enriches 
the  quality  of  its  life  but  enlarges  its  life  as  well 
along  lines  of  natural  growth. 

Effective.  Parish  evangelism  is  also  an  effective 
method  of  recruiting.  A  survey  of  the  various  de- 
nominations reveals  the  fact  that  approximately  one- 
half  of  the  churches  are  practically  standing  still  or 
declining.  That  one-third  are  making  a  reasonable 
growth,  and  that  the  remaining  one-sixth  have  a 
significant  growth.    A  study  of  the  life  and  work 


14  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

of  these  effective  churches  shows  that,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, each  has  a  definite  plan  of  work. 

The  material  here  presented  has  come  out  of  a 
study  of  the  program  of  many  of  these  churches^ 
The  methods  here  presented  have  all  been  tested  and 
found  effective  by  all  sorts  of  churches — city,  town 
and  rural.  The  universal  testimony  of  pastors  who 
have  used  a  program  of  evangelism  is  that  it  will 
work;  that  if  the  church  will  study  how  other 
churches  plan  and  carry  through  their  programs  and 
will  develop  a  program  to  suit  its  own  needs  and 
will  carry  that  program  through  in  a  thoroughgoing 
fashion,  the  results  will  be  most  gratifying.  I  have 
never  known  a  church  to  adopt  a  program  for  one 
year  and  after  that  to  go  back  to  the  old  hit  or  miss 
ways  of  other  years.  The  most  enthusiastic  pastors 
for  a  program  of  parish  evangelism  are  those  who 
have  been  developing  their  programs  through  a  period 
of  years. 

Lasting.  The  results  of  parish  evangelism  are  last- 
ing. This  follows  because  the  methods  of  recruit- 
ing are  natural.  As  a  rule  it  is  most  difficult  to  find 
permanent  results  five  or  ten  years  after  a  highly 
organized,  emotional  revival.  In  a  conference  on 
parish  evangelism  of  the  pastors  of  a  mid-west  city 
it  was  brought  out  in  the  discussion  that  a  thorough- 
going canvass  of  the  membership  roll  of  the  churches 
of  that  city  revealed  the  fact  that  there  were  but  five 
members  then  living  and  working  in  the  various 
churches  of  that  city  of  the  whole  number  who  were 
brought  into  the  churches  as  a  result  of  a  tabernacle 
revival  held  some  eight  years  before.     There  is  a 


PAEISH  EVANGELISM  IS  NATUEAL     15 

very  great  place  for  the  tabernacle  form  of  religious 
work,  but  its  chief  result  is  not  the  building  up  of 
the  membership  of  the  local  congregation.  Its  ideal 
more  frequently  is  moral  reform  which  if  utilized  by 
the  churches  will  help  their  work  very  much  indeed. 

If  our  churches  were  willing  to  accept  the  taber- 
nacle type  of  meeting  for  the  thing  which  it  can  do 
best,  and  not  expect  of  it  the  impossible,  results  would 
be  far  more  lasting.  But  the  unhappy  condition 
exists  that  the  final  results  are  far  different  from 
what  the  churches  and  ministers  anticipate.  It  is 
true,  of  course,  that  no  small  number  of  those  who 
unite  with  the  church  through  its  own  activity  drop 
by  the  wayside,  but  in  spite  of  death  and  removal  and 
backsliding,  the  churches  show  a  considerable  growth 
year  by  year,  and  this  renewal  of  life  and  growth 
of  the  Christian  fellowship  depend  when  all  is  said 
upon  the  faithful  service  of  pastor  and  people,  who 
have  worked  in  many  instances  without  a  definite 
program. 

Scriptural.  Finally,  parish  evangelism  is  the  New 
Testament  method.  As  Jesus  went  about  His  work 
during  the  years  of  His  ministry  He  not  only  preached 
to  the  people  but  also  sat  down  with  them  and  quietly 
explained  to  them  individually  and  in  small  groups 
the  riches  of  God's  grace.  We  have  few  records  of 
His  sermons,  we  have  fewer  records  of  commit- 
ments to  His  Gospel  as  a  result  of  the  sermons ;  but 
we  have  many  records  of  His  conversation  with  men 
and  women,  singly  or  in  small  groups,  when  He  ex- 
plained to  them  the  meaning  and  value  of  life,  and 
in  this  way  He  was  able  to  woo  and  win  them  to 


16  PABISH  EVANGELISM 

whole-hearted  allegiance.  The  same  thing  is  true 
of  the  apostles.  They  preached  great  sermons  and 
won  converts  directly  as  a  result  of  pulpit  presenta- 
tion, notably  on  the  day  of  Pentecost ;  but  far  wider 
was  the  practice  of  meeting  people  in  groups,  in 
homes,  sometimes  in  chapels  or  along  the  wayside, 
where  the  fundamental  decisions  of  life  were  made 
under  the  influence  of  these  men  who  knew  God 
through  Christ  and  who  were  able  to  interpret  to 
needy  hearts  the  realities  of  companionship  with  the 
living  Christ.  The  church  which  concentrates  on  a 
definite  program  of  parish  evangelism  in  winning  men 
and  women  to  the  fellowship  of  worship  and  service 
in  the  Church  of  Christ  is  following  the  method  used 
by  Christ  and  followed  by  His  apostles. 

The  church  whose  pastor  and  people  unite  in  a 
program  of  parish  evangelism  will  discover  two 
things  concerning  the  work  of  the  church.  It  will 
find  that  the  new  members  who  come  into  the  church 
in  this  natural  and  normal  way,  who  have  been  led 
to  the  decision  by  those  with  whom  they  are  to  live 
and  work,  who  are  received  by  the  pastor  who  is  to 
be  their  leader  through  the  days  to  come,  that  these 
new  members  readily  enter  into  the  fellowship  of 
service  and  worship  of  the  church  with  every  element 
in  favour  of  their  remaining  faithful  to  the  church. 
The  church  will  discover  also  that  its  own  life  is 
deepened  and  enriched  through  fellowship  in  fruit- 
ful service  and  that  there  is,  year  by  year,  a  growing 
efficiency  in  every  department  of  its  work. 

When  the  church  has  decided  to  commit  itself  to  a 
thoroughgoing  evangelistic  service  it  should,  first  of 


PARISH  EVANGELISM  IS  NATURAL     17 

all,  see  clearly  the  need  of  a  program  of  activity 
suited  to  its  own  life  and  effective  in  meeting  the 
needs  of  the  community ;  and  second,  it  should  select 
either  by  pastoral  appointment  or  church  election  an 
evangelistic  or  membership  committee  which  would 
help  in  carrying  the  program  through.  In  this  dis- 
cussion we  will  consider  next  the  organization  of 
such  a  committee,  and  then  the  program  for  the  local 
church  and  the  elements  that  should  enter  into  it. 


II 

THE  MEMBERSHIP  OR  EVANGELISTIC 
COMMITTEE 

THE  evangelistic  program  for  the  church 
should  originate  with  the  pastor,  as  he  is 
the  official  leader  and  religious  teacher  of 
the  congregation.  When  he  entered  his  pastorate  he 
affirmed  that  he  had  experienced  in  his  life  the  re- 
newing presence  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  he  had 
thought  about  his  own  experience  in  religion  in  such 
a  way  that  he  knew  how  religion  ministers  to  the 
fundamental  needs  of  life,  and  that  he  realized  that 
men  need  above  everything  else  to  enter  into  his  ex- 
perience of  knowing  Jesus  Christ  as  a  personal  Re- 
deemer. In  brief,  that  he  was  fitted  to  lead  his 
people  in  spiritual  things. 

While  the  pastor  is  the  religious  teacher  and  leader 
of  the  parish,  he  must  be  able  to  see  and  to  have  his 
people  see  that  the  administration  of  a  church  and 
the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel  is  not  a  one-man 
task.  He  will  realize  as  his  program  develops,  if 
he  had  not  before  come  to  this  conclusion,  that  there 
are  in  his  parish  men  and  women  of  exceptional  re- 
ligious experience  and  broad  knowledge  of  the  needs 
of  men  and  of  the  grace  of  God,  who  can  do  some 
things  which  are  impossible  for  him  ^o  accomplish. 
Bishop  Leete  has  well  pointed  out  ttat  the  world 
will  never  be  saved  by  a  committee,  and  that  in  our 

i8 

\ 


THE  MEMBEESHIP  COMMITTEE  19 

development  of  organization  and  the  establishment 
of  method  in  religious  work  we  should  ever  be  care- 
ful not  to  bind  ourselves  in  too  hard  and  fast  a 
fashion  to  programs ;  but  that  we  should  always  have 
our  plans  flexible  enough  to  be  able  to  bend  both  our 
own  program  and  our  method  of  work  to  the  will 
of  the  Spirit  as  it  is  made  known  to  us  as  we  work 
together  with  God. 

While  then  we  must  guard  ourselves  against  put- 
ting too  much  confidence  in  mechanical  programs, 
we  should  bear  in  mind  also  that  wise  saying  of 
Spurgeon  that,  "  Prayer  and  means  must  go  together. 
Means  without  prayer — presumption !  Prayer  with- 
out means — hypocrisy !  "  (Quoted  by  Leete,  "  Every 
Day  Evangelism,"  page  48.)  I  believe  profoundly  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  importance  of  human  coopera- 
tion in  Divine  regeneration.  We  may  speculate  that 
God  could,  if  He  so  willed,  overpower  the  wills  of 
His  children  and  compel  entire  obedience  to  His  will, 
though  such  a  thought  contradicts  our  understand- 
ing of  God's  nature  and  love.  Rather  we  should  re- 
member that  as  Bishop  Oldham  said  many  years  ago, 
"  God  for  His  own  wise  ends  has  conditioned  the 
regeneration  of  mankind  upon  man's  cooperation." 
There  are  instances  where  God  seems  to  speak  di- 
rectly to  individual  souls,  rather  than  through  an- 
other. The  conversion  of  Paul  is  a  most  striking 
instance  of  this  manifestation  of  Divine  power.  Yet 
while  God,  by  a  sudden  revelation  of  Himself  through 
the  risen  Christ,  brought  to  Paul  a  conviction  of  his 
own  sinful  life,  we  should  also  remember  the  loving 
ministry  of  Christian  friends  who  interpreted  to  Paul 


20  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

through  their  own  experience  in  Christ,  the  mean- 
ing of  his  vision  and  opened  the  way  for  him  into 
Christian  service,  where  Paul  found  for  himself  the 
truth,  **  If  any  man  wills  to  do  his  will,  he  shall 
know  of  the  doctrine." 

As  we  study  the  experience  of  men  who  have  come 
close  to  God  we  find  that  with  few  exceptions  their 
introduction  to  God  has  been  through  some  one  of 
good-will  and  Divine  spirit  who  has  opened  to  them 
the  avenue  which  leads  to  communion  with  God.  Be- 
lieving as  we  do  then,  not  only  in  the  possibility  but 
also  in  the  necessity  of  human  cooperation  in  re- 
demption, it  is  reasonable  that  we  should  study  the 
testimony  and  the  experience  of  others  in  planning 
how  best  to  accomplish  our  part  in  this  supreme  task. 
This  leads  us  at  once  out  of  the  mystical  into  the 
realm  of  the  practical — though  we  can  never  ignore 
the  mystical  or  believe  that  any  method  alone  can 
produce  the  conversion  of  another's  life. 

It  is  the  common  testimony  of  pastors  who  have 
made  use  of  some  of  their  consecrated  men  and 
women  as  a  membership  or  evangelistic  committee 
that  their  own  power  is  multiplied  many  fold;  that 
many  men  and  women  are  led  into  fruitful  service, 
and  that  the  whole  church  becomes  enthusiastic  in 
the  work  which  it  is  organized  to  do — the  enlistment 
of  men  and  women  in  the  worship  and  service  of  the 
Christian  Church.  It  is  to  be  understood,  however, 
that  the  evangelistic  or  membership  committee  is 
but  to  lead  in  the  work  and  that  there  will  be  tasks 
for  all  who  are  willing  to  help.  The  appointment  of 
the   committee   should   serve   to   unify   the   church 


THE  MEMBEESHIP  COMMITTEE  21 

around  its  year's  work  and  to  give  the  program  im- 
portance in  the  mind  of  the  church.  Nothing  will 
so  unite  a  church  in  an  enterprise  as  to  have  a  plan 
presented  to  it  which  recommends  itself  to  the  people 
as  something  worth  while.  The  value  of  a  com^ 
mittee  to  plan  and  execute  the  work  of  the  church 
has  been  demonstrated  in  other  lines  of  activity. 
For  example,  the  erection  of  a  new  church  building 
or  the  every-member  canvass.  When  a  church  plans 
to  erect  a  new  church  building  we  have  all  noticed 
the  spirit  of  optimism  which  it  manifests,  how  it 
overcomes  obstacles  and  accomplishes  the  seeming 
impossible.  These  results  come  from  the  union  of 
consecrated  men  and  women  in  a  worthy  enterprise 
where  all  are  working  together  to  certain  definite 
ends.  While  the  building  project  centers  in  the 
building  committee,  there  is  not  a  single  organiza- 
tion connected  with  the  church  but  what  feels  and 
reflects  the  pulsing  power  of  unified  activity.  We 
have  likewise  all  noticed  the  way  in  which  as  simple 
a  thing  as  a  social  by  the  ladies'  society,  which  draws 
into  its  activity  a  large  number  of  women,  will  give 
quickening  activity  and  deepening  interest  in  all  of 
the  departments  of  the  church. 

These  things  but  illustrate  one  of  the  fundamental 
characteristics  of  human  life,  which  is  that  folks  like 
to  do  things  together.  Call  to  mind  the  interest  young 
men  take  in  army  drills.  What  could  be  more 
prosaic  than  the  drill  field?  Yet  because  a  large 
number  are  doing  the  same  thing  at  the  same  time 
and  trying  to  do  it  in  the  same  way,  there  is  a  thrill 
of  cooperation  and  of  brotherhood  which  brings  great 


22  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

satisfaction  to  those  taking  part  in  the  exercise.  One 
of  the  world's  renowned  physical  trainers  has  said 
that  he  owes  his  success  and  fortune  to  this  desire  for 
doing  things  together.  In  his  physical  training  depart- 
ment he  has  nothing  new,  and  he  asks  the  men  Iwho 
join  his  organization  to  do  nothing  which  they  could 
not  as  easily  do  alone,  but  which  as  a  matter  of  fact 
they  will  not  do  alone;  yet  they  will  join  together 
under  his  leadership  and  find  great  pleasure  as  well 
as  benefit  in  doing  together  the  simple  things  which 
renew  their  physical  life.  When  the  pastor  thinks 
of  this  trait  of  human  nature  he  will  be  convinced 
that  to  make  effective  his  ministry  he  must  be  wise 
enough  in  his  own  generation  to  profit  by  what  we 
know  of  the  psychology  of  life,  as  well  as  what  we 
know  of  the  revelation  of  God's  grace. 

There  are  three  specific  functions  for  such  a  com- 
mittee. First:  To  advise  with  the  pastor  as  to  the 
details  of  the  local  program.  'Every  pastor  discovers 
with  very  superficial  observation  that  his  church  is  a 
peculiar  church  and  that  his  situation  has  certain  in- 
dividualistic qualities  which  are  not  common  to  other 
parishes.  This  common  observation  of  ministers  is 
true,  for  as  one  man  differs  from  another  in  per- 
sonality, so  do  communities  vary.  If  a  program  is 
to  be  effective  in  meeting  the  needs  of  a  local  com- 
munity there  must  be  a  clear  understanding  of  what 
those  needs  are.  The  pastor  who  perhaps  has  not 
been  long  a  resident  of  the  community  has  an  ad- 
vantage by  which  he  can  survey  the  community  as 
a  v.'hole  and  set  down  some  of  the  characteristic 
needs.     But  at  the  same  time  if  he  trusts  to  his  own 


THE  MEMBERSHIP  COMMITTEE  23 

observations  alone  he  is  quite  likely  to  overlook  some 
of  the  fundamental  characteristics  of  the  community 
life.     He  will  frequently  err  in  his  appraisal  of  men 
and  will  not  be  sensitive  to  the  traditions  of  the 
parish,  which  to  those  who  have  lived  there  during 
their  lives  are  among  their  most  sacred  possessions. 
The  second  function  of  such  a  committee  is:  To 
assist  the  pastor  in  carrying  through  the  program 
which  is  decided  upon.    Most  of  our  people  are  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.     You  can  scarcely 
ever  meet  a  man  or  woman  who  does  not  believe  that 
there  is  a  God,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Redeemer 
of  mankind,   and  His  life  the   ideal   for   all   men, 
and  that  we   are  created  in  the  spiritual   likeness 
of  God    and  endowed  with  the  possibility  of  eternal 
life.     In  other  words,  the  churches  through  the  long 
years  of  consistent  service  and  proclamation  have 
virtually  convinced  our  people  of  the  truth  of  God 
and  of  Christ  and  of  sin,  salvation  and  eternal  life. 
As  Dr.  Fosdick  has  so  well  said,  the  careful  survey 
made  at  the  time  of  the  enlistment  for  the  great  war 
showed  that  there  was  scarcely  an  atheist  among  the 
American  youth.     Where  we  fail  is  not  in  securing 
the  assent  of  the  people  to  the  truths  of  religion ;  but 
in   bringing    the    people    to    a    whole-hearted    com- 
mitment to  the  worship  and  service  of  Christ.    When 
the  committee  has  outlined  its  program  it  should  then 
proceed  under  the  leadership  of  the  pastor  to  carry 
out  that  program  of  enlisting  men  and  women  in  the 
worship  and  service  of  the  church  where  they  will 
learn  to  practice  day  by  day  the  Gospel  of  good-will 
and  enter  more  fully  into  communion  with  God. 


24  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

And  third,  the  program  will  be  set  forward 
if  the  members  are  able  to  give  effective  support  to 
the  p,  ogram  in  the  various  church  organizations.  It 
is  essential  that  members  of  the  committee  be  drawn 
from  the  various  organizations,  that  they  may  be  able 
to  present  the  program  to  those  organizations  and 
secure  their  endorsement;  that  there  be  members  of 
the  women's  society  and  the  men's  group,  and  of  the 
Sunday-school,  who  will  know  from  the  beginning 
the  development  of  the  program,  be  familiar  with  its 
details  and  be  able  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the 
organization  in  which  they  labour  in  the  united  enter- 
prise of  the  church.  This  membership  or  evan- 
gelistic committee  is  needed  to  assist  the  pastor  to 
plan  his  program  and  to  help  him  to  carry  it  through. 

The  Composition  of  the  Committee 
The  committee  should  be  composed  of  at  least  two 
classes  of  individuals.  First,  those  who  are  mem- 
bers because  of  their  representative  capacity;  this 
will  include  members  of  the  Board  of  Deacons  or 
Elders,  of  the  church  school,  of  the  women's  or- 
ganization, men's  organization  and  young  people's 
societies.  These  members  may  be  selected  by  the 
pastor  or  be  designated  by  the  heads  of  representa- 
tive organizations.  But  in  whatever  way  appointed 
they  should  be  persons  of  natural  leadership  in  the 
organizations  they  represent,  whose  words  carry 
weight  and  whose  judgments  are  respected,  and  whose 
lives  are  in  happy  accord  with  their  religious  pro- 
fession. 
The  second  class  of  members  of  the  committee 


THE  MEMBEESHIP  COMMITTEE  25 

should  be  selected  by  the  pastor  as  members  at  large. 
These  should  be  persons  of  potential  leadership  in  the 
church,  who  by  gifts  and  graces,  will  be  most  ef- 
fective in  helping  to  develop  the  various  items  of  the 
program. 

The  Preliminary  Work  of  the  Committee 
It  has  been  found  helpful  to  appoint  the  evan- 
gelistic or  membership  committee  in  May  or  June 
preceding  the  opening  of  the  church  year,  which  is 
usually  September  or  October.  First,  where  this  is 
done  it  affords  the  committee  an  opportunity  to  make 
a  study  of  evangelistic  methods  and  purposes.  Some 
pastors  secure  a  number  of  helpful  books  and  pass 
these  around  from  member  to  member  during  the 
summer  months.  The  books  to  be  used  in  this  way 
should  be  brief,  non-argumentative  and  helpful  dis- 
cussions of  some  of  the  features  of  church  work. 
For  example,  books  dealing  with  the  mission  of  the 
church,  personal  evangelism,  the  evangelistic  litera- 
ture of  the  denomination,  a  brief  history  of  the  de- 
nomination and  its  contribution  to  the  religious  life 
of  our  times,  and  some  simple  book  on  the  Christian 
interpretation  of  the  meaning  and  value  of  life.  The 
reading  of  such  books  lays  a  splendid  foundation  for 
the  more  detailed  study  of  the  practical  methods  of 
evangelistic  work,  which  should  be  one  feature  of 
the  committee's  activities  during  the  church  year. 

The  second  line  of  preliminary  activity  for  the 
committee  is  to  make  a  study  of  the  church  and  the 
community.  This  might  well  be  assigned  to  a  sub- 
committee or  to  one  person  especially  fitted  for  this 


26  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

work,  but  the  results  of  such  a  study  ought  to  be 
available  for  the  committee  early  in  the  fall,  and 
hence  this  work  should  be  done  if  possible  during  the 
summer  months.  This  study  could  well  follow  the 
following  outline: 

The  total  population  of  the  community  or  parish. 

The  number  of  church  members. 

The  number  of  children  in  the  community  of  Sun- 
day-school age. 

The  percentage  of  these  enrolled  in  the  church 
school. 

The  enrollment  of  the  Sunday-school. 

How  many  of  these  are  now  members  of  the 
church  ? 

How  many  church  school  pupils  of  twelve  years 
of  age  or  over,  not  members  of  the  church,  that  is, 
how  many  boys  and  girls,  men  and  women,  who  are 
not  now  members  of  the  church,  is  the  church  school 
reaching  with  its  message  of  instruction  ? 

There  should  be  also  a  careful  study  of  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church  which  should  give  the  follow- 
ing information: 

The  percentage  regular  in  attendance. 
The  percentage  occasional  in  attendance. 
The  percentage  in  the  process  of  lapsing. 
The  number  of  absentees  and  their  status. 

These  items  of  information  will  indicate  the  op- 
portunity of  the  church  for  intensive  cultivation  of 
its  own  field,  and  while  this  study  is  being  made 
there  should  be  a  beginning  of  the  listing  of  prospec- 
tive members,  which  lists  will  help  guide  the  com- 
mittee in  its  work  later  in  the  year.  These  may  be 
divided  somewhat  as  follows : 


THE  MEMBEESHIP  COMMITTEE  27 

The  husbands  of  wives  who  are  members. 

The  wives  of  husbands  now  members. 

Children  in  families  containing  one  or  more  mem- 
bers of  the  church. 

Children  in  the  church  school  or  young  people's 
societies  or  congregation,  not  members. 

Contributors  to  the  church  not  members. 

Attendants  of  the  congregation  not  members. 

Attendants  at  the  various  organizations  not  mem- 
bers. 

In  the  discussion  which  grows  out  of  this  study 
there  will  be  additional  suggestions  concerning  the 
formation  of  prospective  lists.  As  the  committee 
studies  the  personnel  of  the  congregation  along  these 
lines,  names  will  be  discovered  now  and  then  of 
those  who  will  be  prospective  workers  in  the  church 
program  and  who  ought  to  be  included  on  the  mem- 
bership or  evangelistic  committee.  For  this  reason 
the  list  of  this  committee  should  not  be  closed,  as  the 
pastor  may  desire  to  add  to  it  from  time  to  time  as 
new  people  are  discovered  who  will  be  effective  work- 
ers in  the  program  of  parish  evangelism. 

This  committee,  composed  of  official  representa- 
tives of  the  church  organizations  and  other  persons 
of  personal  though  perhaps  not  of  official  position, 
should  work  with  the  pastor  to  make  a  careful  study 
of  the  church  and  its  community  and  likewise  to 
study  some  of  the  literature  on  religious  work;  that 
they  will  be  able  to  advise  with  him  most  effectively 
in  formulating  the  program  for  the  church  in  which 
the  pastor  and  people  will  cooperate  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage in  the  program  of  parish  evangelism. 


Ill 

PLANNING  THE  YEAR'S  WORK 

The  Program 

THE  first  definite  task  of  the  membership  or 
evangelistic  committee  is  to  adopt  a  work- 
ing program  for  the  church  year.  A  pro- 
gram presupposes  a  definite  goal  towards  which  a 
church  is  working.  Therefore  it  is  necessary  that 
the  membership  of  the  church  have  rather  clearly  in 
mind  some  definite  ideals  by  which  to  shape  its  course. 
There  is  much  hazy  thinking  right  here  on  the 
part  of  many  church  people,  laity  as  well  as  pastors. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  if  a  church  is  to  accom- 
plish anything  really  worth  while  it  must  first  of  all 
have  a  goal  or  an  ideal  towards  which  it  is  working. 
We  must  always  remember  that  results  do  not  hap- 
pen but  are  brought  about. 

The  entire  discussion  of  this  book  presupposes  that 
the  church  has  rather  definitely  in  mind  an  ideal  to- 
wards which  it  is  working,  and  that  that  ideal  is  not 
simply  a  dim,  indefinite  expectation  of  reasonable 
growth,  but  that  the  pastor  and  his  helpers  have  con- 
sidered certain  things  which  they  wish  to  accomplish 
as  a  result  of  the  3^ear's  labour.  It  is  understood 
that  by  the  very  nature  of  the  church's  life  the  goal 
of  its  year's  work  cannot  be  absolutely  fixed  in  all 

28 


PLANNING  THE  YEAE'S  WOEK  29 

details,  for  the  attitude  of  the  church  must  be  that 
of  an  opportunist,  that  it  may  be  able  to  take  advan- 
tage of  winds  and  tides  in  the  spiritual  realm  and  in 
community  activity.  The  ideal  of  the  church  which 
should  serve  as  a  guide  for  the  year's  activities  will 
have  of  course  many  elements;  some  relating  to 
social  service,  missionary  education,  religious  educa- 
tion, community  welfare,  as  well  as  various  other 
items.  But  if  the  church  is  to  be  true  to  its  mission 
and  true  to  its  ultimate  purpose  there  must  be  a  defi- 
nite expectation  for  increased  membership  as  pastor 
and  people  cooperate  in  the  program  of  parish  evan- 
gelism for  enlisting  men  and  women  in  the  Christian 
Church. 

A  program  is  in  reality  a  working  chart  by  which 
the  church  purposes  to  advance  from  where  it  now  is 
towards  the  goal  which  is  the  ideal  of  its  activity.  It 
goes  without  saying  that  unless  a  church  follows  a 
plan  of  work  the  chances  are  that  it  will  reach  no 
place  in  particular  and  that  its  efforts  will  be  a  good 
deal  without  direction  and  definite  results,  and  much 
energy  will  be  wasted.  The  church  will  lack  the 
centralizing  influence  which  a  well  worked  out  pro- 
gram always  gives  and  will  end  the  year  with  a  spirit 
of  resignation,  or  worse  still  of  discouragement. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  a  program  has  been  adopted 
and  carried  through  with  reasonable  success,  there 
will  be  a  feeling  of  confidence  and  satisfaction  as  the 
church  realizes  that  it  is  finding  itself  in  worth-while, 
well-directed  efforts  towards  clearly  defined  ends. 
One  of  the  best  things  about  a  program  of  church 
work  is  that  it  goes  better  each  year.    As  the  pro- 


30  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

gram  develops  it  will  be  found  that  efficiency  is 
gained  by  practice  and  that  interest  deepens  with 
accomplishment.  A  plan  for  the  year  for  the  church 
is  to  the  pastor  and  his  committee  what  the  chart  is 
to  the  sailor  or  the  blue  print  to  the  builder,  or  the 
season's  work  to  the  farmer,  that  is,  a  guide  which 
indicates  that  certain  things  be  done  in  a  certain  or- 
der. This  is  the  universal  testimony  of  pastors  who 
have  used  a  program  in  their  work.  While  the 
particular  items  of  the  program  vaiy  year  by  year, 
still  the  main  outline  will  remain  practically  the  same 
and  the  people  will  accustom  themselves  to  the  pro- 
gram of  church  life  as  it  develops  with  the  flow  of 
the  seasons.  The  church  will  come  to  look  forward 
to  certain  features  of  church  work  which  will  be 
emphasized  in  appropriate  fashion  with  much  pleasur- 
able anticipation. 

Elements  of  the  Plan 

There  are  three  things  which  the  pastor  ought  to 
take  into  consideration  as  he  arranges  the  details  of 
his  program  of  parish  evangelism.  The  first  is,  What 
are  the  local  needs?  The  information  which  will 
help  him  on  this  point  will  be  derived  in  part  from 
the  study  which  he  or  some  members  of  his  com- 
mittee have  made  of  the  parish  and  the  membership 
situation  in  his  church.     For  example,  it  may  be: 

(a)  The  pastor  will  find  that  the  greatest  need  is 
the  strengthening  of  the  church  school;  that  the 
teachers  need  encouragement,  that  new  teachers  are 
required  and  that  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school  be 
given  point.     That  is,  that  boys  and  girls  who  have 


PLANNING  THE  YEAR'S  WORK  31 

spent  a  number  of  years  in  the  Sunday-school  shall 
be  equipped  with  such  knowledge  and  training  and 
development  of  character  that  they  may  know  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel  and  be  led  to  commit  themselves 
to  Christ. 

(b)  Or  it  may  be  that  there  are  a  large  number 
of  boys  and  girls  in  the  Sunday-school  who  are  not 
now  members  of  the  church  and  the  year's  work 
should  properly  be  built  around  the  task  of  bring- 
ing these  boys  and  girls  into  personal  relationship 
with  Christ.  If  there  are  any  considerable  number 
of  boys  and  girls  in  the  church  school  who  have 
not  confessed  Christ,  the  pastor  will  find  that  here 
is  a  year's  work  upon  which  it  will  pay  him  well  to 
specialize. 

(c)  It  may  be  that  the  chief  need  of  the  church 
is  building  the  congregation.  This  is  an  outstanding 
need  of  many  churches.  There  are  men  and  women 
of  good  will  in  most  communities  not  now  members 
of  the  church  who  should  be  brought  into  the  con- 
gregation where  they  may  learn  something  of  the 
ideals  of  worship  and  service  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity, and  who  will  give  the  pastor  and  his  com- 
mittee a  splendid  field  for  personal  evangelism  as  the 
years  go  by.  It  should  be  kept  clearly  in  mind  that 
congregations  do  not  happen  but  result  from  the  in- 
terest and  labours  of  individuals.  There  is  no  valid 
reason  why  a  minister  should  sit  down  and  fold  his 
hands  and  resign  himself  to  the  thought  of  con- 
tinuing through  life  with  small  congregations.  Hence 
it  may  be  that  developing  the  congregation  may  be 
the  chief  item  of  the  program  for  the  year. 


32  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

(d)  Then  again  the  congregation  may  be  made 
up  quite  largely  of  those  who  are  not  officially  con- 
nected with  the  church  and  who  have  made  no  con- 
fession of  belief  in  Christ,  or  they  may  not  have  an 
active  faith  and  need  a  thoroughgoing  regeneration 
of  life.  The  conversion  of  the  members  of  the  con- 
gregation as  it  now  exists  may  be  the  program  for 
the  year. 

(e)  Or  again,  as  will  be  found  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  the  pastor  and  committee  will  find  as  a  result 
of  their  study  of  the  church  and  community  that 
there  is  a  little  nucleus  of  devoted  saints,  surrounded 
by  a  circle  of  those  who  are  members  of  the  church 
and  faithful  to  its  worship  and  service;  these  sur- 
rounded by  a  still  larger  circle  of  occasional  at- 
tendants of  the  church;  and  beyond  these  an  outer 
circle  of  men  and  women  of  good  impulse  who  look 
upon  this  church  as  their  church  though  not  attend- 
ing its  services  nor  joining  in  its  worship.  Where 
such  is  the  case,  the  pastor  will  build  his  program 
to  meet  this  primary  need  of  extending  the  number 
and  influence  of  the  inner  circle  and  of  bringing  those 
of  the  outer  circles  nearer  the  center  of  the  church's 
life.  Then,  whatever  program  adopted,  the  pastor  and 
people  should  always  seek  to  communicate  to  all  the 
church  their  own  spirit  of  enthusiastic  participation 
in  the  worship  of  God  and  the  service  of  their  fel- 
low-men. The  first  requirement  of  the  program  is, 
then,  that  it  be  framed  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  local 
situation. 

The  second  requirement  is,  that  the  program  for 
the  local  church  shall  harmonize  so  far  a^  possible 


PLANNING  THE  YEAE'S  WORK  33 

with  the  program  of  the  denomination.     More  and 
more  the  denominations  are  coming  to  denomina- 
tional programs  of  evangeUsm  whicn  take  into  con- 
sideration the  poUty,  practice  and  personaUty  of  the 
communion.     The  denominational  program  forms  a 
basis  upon  which  the  churches  of  Hke  order  can  co- 
operate one  with  the  other,  greatly  to  the  encourage- 
ment of  all.    It  is  of  the  greatest  value  to  all  churches 
for  pastor  and  people  to  feel  that  that  which  they 
are  trying  to  do  in  their  church  is  something  along 
the  same  line  as  that  which  their  brethren  in  an 
adjoining  church  of  the  same  communion  are  trying 
to  do.     It  is  quite  likely  that  where  there  is  a  denomi- 
national program  the  denomination  will  set  aside  cer- 
tain of  its  general  workers  who  will  be  available  to 
assist  the  pastors  in  placing  before  their  people,  not 
only  the  denominational  ideals,  but  also  the  experi- 
ences and  the  testimony  of  ministers  here  and  there 
who  have  been  effective  in  their  service.     There  will 
also  be  denominational  helps,  which  are  in  reality 
but  bits  of  testimony  from  pastors  who  have  done 
the  thing  that  they  have  written  about.     For  these 
reasons  the  program  for  the  local  church  should  take 
into  consideration  the  elements  and  the  ideals  and 
material  of  the  denominational  program. 

The  third  requirement  is,  that  it  shall  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  flow  of  seasons.  There  is  nothing  to 
hinder  the  farmer  from  going  out  in  September  and 
planting  corn  if  he  so  desires,  but  when  he  does  this 
he  cannot  expect  the  same  sort  of  returns  from  his 
labours  as  if  he  plants  it  in  May.  For  the  farmer 
who  plants  in  May  takes  into  consideration  the  flow 


34  PAEISH  EVAI^GELISM 

of  seasons  and  his  efforts  are  expended  in  coopera- 
tion with  natural  laws.  So  in  the  realm  of  religion 
there  seems  to  be  a  certain  seasonal  flow  of  life 
when  the  great  truths  can  be  best  emphasized.  At 
least  it  is  the  testimony  of  a  vast  and  growing  num- 
ber of  pastors  that  to  follow  the  Christian  year  in 
a  program  of  preaching  and  church  work  is  to  pre- 
sent the  Christian  faith  in  an  effective,  logical  and 
acceptable  way.  It  is  taking  advantage  of  the  sea- 
sons when  people  most  naturally  think  of  the  great 
subjects  of  Christian  thought — Christmas  with  its 
wealth  of  joyous  experience,  Easter  as  the  consum- 
mation of  the  Christian  hope.  It  may  be  that  a  pas- 
tor's experience  is  not  in  accord  with  the  experience 
of  those  who  use  the  Christian  calendar  in  their 
year's  work,  and  it  may  be  that  he  will  find  other 
seasons  which  are  more  propitious.  For  the  greater 
number  of  hard-working  pastors,  however,  the  flow 
of  seasons  as  indicated  in  the  Christian  year  affords 
a  valuable  opportunity  to  emphasize  the  great  truths 
at  the  most  effective  time.  If  the  Christian  year  is 
not  adopted  some  other,  better  fitted  to  the  needs  of 
the  church,  should  be  followed. 

There  are  certain  other  elements,  of  course,  which 
must  be  provided  for.  For  example,  the  pastor  must 
realize  that  he  has  other  responsibihties  to  his  people 
and  to  the  Christian  commonwealth,  and  that  he  must 
not  shut  these  other  interests  out  of  participation  in 
the  work  of  the  church.  It  must  be  understood  that 
space  be  allowed  for  many  other  lines  of  church 
work — mission  study,  Sunday-school  rallies  and  pro- 
grams, stewardship,  moral  reform,  community  proj- 


PLANNING  THE  YEAR'S  WORK  35 

ects,  the  financial  canvass — and  with  it  all  time  must 
be  allowed  for  the  constant  routine  of  parish  duties. 

With  these  thoughts  in  mind  concerning  the  re- 
quirements of  the  program — that  it  shall  meet  local 
needs,  be  in  harmony  with  the  denominational  ob- 
jectives and  allow  for  the  flow  of  seasons — the  pas- 
tor and  his  committee  should  be  prepared  to  adopt 
the  working  plan  for  the  year.  To  do  this  the  com- 
mittee should  meet  early  in  the  fall,  if  it  has  not 
done  so  in  the  late  summer,  to  make  a  review  of  the 
study  of  the  community  and  to  map  out  the  program 
for  the  year's  work.  If  the  program  has  been  in 
operation  in  previous  years  the  program  for  the  fol- 
lowing year  can  well  be  adopted  in  May  or  June, 
when  the  experiences  and  lessons  of  the  preceding 
year's  work  are  fresh  in  mind.  Where  this  is  done 
year  by  year  the  details  of  the  program  may  be 
worked  out  leisurely  during  the  months  of  less  strain 
and  the  program  completed  in  time  to  present  to  the 
church  early  in  the  fall.  But  where  the  program  is 
adopted  in  the  early  summer  following  a  year's  work, 
or  where  it  is  adopted  in  the  late  summer  following 
study  and  preparation  with  the  hope  of  initiating  an 
orderly  program  of  evangelism,  there  should  be  in 
the  early  fall  a  meeting  of  the  committee  which 
should  take  into  consideration  whatever  new  light 
may  be  shed  upon  the  situation  and  plans  be  for- 
mulated for  initiating  the  program  in  the  best  pos- 
sible way. 

More  and  more  churches  are  coming  to  a  standard- 
ized program  which  in  its  main  items  are  somewhat 
as  follows: 


36  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

A  Year's  Program 

September-December 

1.  A  Meeting  of  the  Church  Evangelistic  Com- 
mittee :  To  face  the  whole  year's  work  of  the  church 
and  to  map  out  a  year's  program. 

2.  Church  Rallies:  To  bring  the  church  and  its 
work  to  the  attention  of  all  the  people. 

3.  Parish  Visitation:  To  locate  and  enlist  pos- 
sible attendants  and  adherents  of  the  church  and  its 
organizations. 

4.  Fall  Reception  of  members  at  the  November 
Communion. 

January-Easter 

1.  The  preaching  of  the  Gospel  with  a  distinct 
evangelistic  appeal. 

2.  An  Invitation  Committee:  To  study  the  best 
methods  of  winning  decisions  for  Christ  and  to  work 
continuously  with  the  pastor  to  secure  new  members. 

3.  The  Pastor's  Training  Class :  To  instruct  chil- 
dren twelve  years  of  age  and  older  in  the  funda- 
mentals of  Christian  faith  and  the  meaning  of  church 
membership. 

4.  The  Lenten  Prayer  Calendar:  Extended  use 
of  "  The  Fellowship  of  Prayer "  in  private  devo- 
tions, at  the  family  altar,  in  prayer  circles  and  in  the 
work  of  the  church. 

5.  Holy  Week  Services. 

6.  The  Easter  Ingathering:  The  reception  of  new 
members  at  the  Communion  Service  on  or  near 
Easte/. 

After  Easter  Conservation 

I.  Continuation  Plans:  To  continue  evangelistic 
endeavours  in  special  groups  to  Children's  Sunday, 


PLANNING  THE  YEAR'S  WORK  37 

Mother's  Sunday  or  Pentecost  Sunday,  and  to  en- 
list new  members  in  definite  tasks  of  Qiristian 
service. 

2.  Absentee  Campaign :  The  locating  and  reclaim- 
ing of  absentee  members  who  are  living  in  the  com- 
munity of  the  church  though  holding  membership 
in  churches  elsewhere. 

This  standardized  program  groups  the  year's  work 
into  three  periods,  each  period  having  certain  definite 
characteristics  and  coming  to  a  peak  with  a  reception 
of  members  at  psychological  moments  in  the  year's 
work.  It  should  be  understood  that  this  general 
program  should  be  used  by  the  local  church  simply 
as  a  foundation  on  which  to  build  its  own,  which 
while  taking  into  consideration  the  elements  of  the 
general  program  must  be  built  to  meet  the  needs  of 
the  local  church. 

As  was  said,  each  church  must  decide  for  itself 
the  time  of  the  year  best  suited  for  that  church  to 
carry  through  the  items  of  its  program.  Some  of 
the  items  listed  in  the  September-December  period 
may  fit  in  better  after  January.  The  series  of  devo- 
tional or  evangelistic  meetings  which  are  scheduled 
for  the  two  weeks  preceding  Easter  are  held  more 
successfully  by  some  pastors  in  the  early  weeks  of 
January.  Many  rural  churches  of  the  South  hold 
special  meetings  in  the  late  fall  months.  The  Pas- 
tor's Training  Class,  which  in  this  program  is  part 
of  the  Lenten  period,  is  conducted  by  some  pastors 
after  Easter  with  a  public  reception  on  Children's 
Day  or  later.  A  large  number  of  churches,  espe- 
cially  Methodist  and  Baptist,   follow  Decision  Day 


38  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

(usually  Palm  Sunday)  with  a  series  of  meetings  for 
those  desiring  church  membership. 

These  problems  are  all  of  importance  and  must  be 
solved  by  each  pastor.  He  should  arrange  the  pro- 
gram to  meet  the  needs  of  the  local  situation.  The 
various  elements  of  the  program  as  here  discussed, 
however,  should  find  a  place  in  the  program  of  the 
local  church — if  not  at  the  time  indicated,  then  at  a 
more  suitable  season. 

Adoption  by  the  Church 

After  the  program  has  been  outlined  by  the  pastor 
and  his  committee  it  will  be  helpful  if  the  program 
be  brought  before  the  church  in  effective  fashion  and 
adopted  formally  by  the  church,  A  very  good 
method  of  presenting  the  program  to  the  church  is 
for  the  committee  to  have  printed  sufficient  copies 
of  the  program  for  general  distribution,  then  for  the 
pastor  to  devote  a  Sunday  morning  for  presenting 
to  the  people  the  program  and  the  reasons  which 
underlie  it;  the  ideals  which  it  seeks  to  express  and 
the  objects  which  it  seeks  to  attain.  Some  pastors 
in  presenting  the  program  on  "  Program  Sunday " 
invite  to  the  pulpit  a  few  of  the  leaders  of  the  con- 
gregation, a  member  of  the  Board  of  Deacons,  the 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  president  of  the 
women's  society  or  others,  each  one  in  a  well-pre- 
pared three-minute  talk  to  pledge  to  the  program  the 
support  of  these  organizations.  This  will  do  much 
to  create  an  atmosphere  favourable  to  the  considera- 
tion of  the  program  by  the  people. 

When  the  program  has  been  presented  to  the  peo- 


PLANNING  THE  YEAE'S  WORK  39 

pie,  it  is  helpful  to  have  a  formal  vote  from  the 
church  to  accept  the  program  and  to  pledge  co- 
operation in  carrying  it  through.  Such  a  vote  is 
easy  to  secure  and  can  be  of  the  greatest  helpful- 
ness, as  by  coming  to  a  vote  the  church  crystallizes 
its  own  sentiments  and  attitude  towards  the  program 
and  the  fact  that  it  has  formally  adopted  the  pro- 
gram will  lend  added  weight  and  influence  to  it  as 
the  days  go  by.  This  is  a  natural  way  to  initiate  the 
year's  work  and  an  eifective  way  to  register  the  fact 
in  the  minds  of  the  people. 

After  the  program  has  been  accepted  by  the 
church — either  at  a  morning  service,  at  a  business 
session  of  the  church,  at  a  specially  advertised  prayer 
meeting  or  in  any  other  way — it  should  then  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Sunday-school  and  other  organizations, 
either  by  the  pastor  alone  or  by  the  pastor  with  the 
assistance  of  some  member  of  the  organization.  It 
is  of  great  helpfulness  to  have  the  active  support  of 
these  organizations  and  it  can  be  had  usually  unani- 
mously and  enthusiastically  if  these  organizations  be 
approached  at  the  time  of  initiating  the  program. 
That  is  to  say,  that  if  the  program  is  presented  to  the 
Sunday-school  or  the  women's  society  and  the  pastor 
expresses  the  desire  that  that  organization  pledge  its 
cooperation  and  support  to  the  program  for  the 
year's  work,  he  will  find  that  the  support  will  be 
given,  that  the  organization  will  appreciate  being 
consulted,  and  that  in  so  presenting  the  program  he 
has  strengthened  the  morale  of  his  people  and  has 
done  a  great  deal  towards  initiating  the  program  with 
every  possible  condition  favourable  to  carrying  it 
through  successfully. 


IV 

FALL  ACTIVITIES 

THE  usual  church  program  is  planned  so  that 
the  fall  activities  constitute  the  opening  of 
the  year's  work.  These  are  of  very  great 
importance.  It  is  the  common  testimony  of  pastors 
that  the  results  of  the  year's  work  depend  in  con- 
siderable measure  upon  the  effectiveness  of  these 
activities.  There  is  an  opportunity  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year  which  does  not  exist  later  to  initiate  the 
program  with  sufficient  enthusiasm  and  momentum 
to  overcome  the  natural  Inertia  of  the  people.  The 
first  object  of  the  fall  work  is  that  there  shall  be  put 
into  the  thinking  of  the  members  of  the  church,  as 
well  as  into  the  thinking  of  the  community,  the 
realization  that  here  is  an  organization  that  has  set 
for  itself  a  definite  piece  of  work  to  do;  that  it  is 
clear  in  mind  as  to  how  that  work  is  to  be  accom- 
plished and  is  setting  about  its  task  with  a  spirit  of 
confidence  and  determination.  To  accomplish  this 
result  pastors  are  finding  that  a  fall  rally  of  the 
church  is  perhaps  the  most  effective  method. 

The  Fall  Rally 
If  properly  advertised  and  carried  through,  a  fall 
rally  will  reenlist  the  members  of  the  church  who 
are  returning  to  their  homes  after  their  summer  vaca- 

40 


FALL  ACTIVITIES  41 

tions,  and  reinterest  those  members  who  have  re- 
mained at  home  but  who  may  have  lessened  during 
the  summer  their  usual  participation  in  the  activities 
of  the  church.  We  must  keep  ever  in  mind  the  fact 
that  himian  interest  is  a  variable  thing  and  that  it  is 
a  natural  phenomenon  for  interest  in  any  enterprise 
to  lag.  Instead  of  looking  upon  this  fact  as  an  ob- 
stacle in  the  way  of  church  work,  pastors  should  look 
rather  at  the  splendid  opportunity  that  is  afforded 
them  to  reawaken  interest.  As  all  psychologists 
teach  us,  people  will  return  to  an  enterprise  with 
more  interest  than  ever  after  a  period  of  seeming  in- 
difference, provided  the  interest  is  reenlisted  by  new 
means  and  additional  fresh  interests  are  aroused.  It 
is  absolutely  contrary  to  our  study  of,  or  knowledge 
of,  human  nature  to  believe  that  any  large  number  of 
people  can  continue  month  in  and  month  out  active 
interest  in  the  same  things.  We  should  realize  that 
the  seeming  loss  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  people 
in  the  work  of  the  church  after  a  season  of  activity 
is  not  due  to  a  loss  of  moral  sense  or  a  victory  of 
evil,  a  serious  backsliding  or  anything  else  but  the 
natural  way  in  which  human  nature  acts.  It  is  the 
wise  pastor  who  will  understand  this  changing  atti- 
tude of  people  and  will  allow  them  those  periods  of 
quietness  and  seeming  lack  of  interest  in  religious 
work,  feeling  that  if  he  uses  the  knowledge  which  is 
his  as  a  result  of  observation  and  study  of  mankind 
he  will  be  able  to  secure  far  more  efficient  coopera- 
tion after  this  period  of  relaxation. 

This  does  not  mean  that  the  church  ought  to  close 
its  activities  during  the  summer  months,  for  there 


42  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

are  those  in  every  congregation  who  by  nature  and 
long  course  of  habit  have  accustomed  themselves  to 
regular  participation  in  the  service  and  worship  of 
the  church.  For  these,  as  well  as  for  the  occasional 
attendant  at  church,  the  summer  services  should  be 
made  as  interesting  and  helpful  as  possible.  But  for 
the  great  mass  of  church  workers  there  should  be  a 
period  of  relaxation  and  they  should  be  made  to 
feel  that  in  relaxing  their  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
church  for  the  time  being,  they  are  not  the  victims  of 
a  slump  in  morals.  The  pastor  who  bides  his  time 
with  sweetness  of  spirit  and  keeps  in  touch  with  his 
people  in  an  unobtrusive  way  during  the  period  of 
relaxation,  will  find  that  his  people  will  respond  with 
greater  readiness  than  ever  when  he  calls  upon  them 
for  renewed  activities  in  the  work  of  the  church. 

One  wise  pastor  who  has  observed  these  traits  and 
who  is  wise  in  his  generation  suggests  to  his  people 
during  the  late  spring  certain  good  books  of  sermons, 
of  missions,  missionary  biography  and  other  devo- 
tional literature  for  them  to  take  on  vacation,  or  if 
they  are  remaining  at  home  for  the  summer,  for  Sun- 
day reading,  which  will  help  them  to  an  intelligent 
worship  of  God  and  a  deepening  interest  in  the  work 
of  the  church.  The  pastor  who  takes  this  attitude 
towards  his  people  and  towards  their  summer  relaxa- 
tion will  find  if  he  is  able  to  provide  any  worth-while 
new  interest  in  the  fall  that  the  year's  work  will 
open  with  his  Rally  Sunday  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  will  be  a  surprise  to  the  community  and  a  most 
heartening  experience  to  the  workers  of  the  church. 
Instead  of  having  a  congregation  wearied  and  dis- 


FALL  ACTIVITIES  43 

couraged  after  the  let  down  of  the  summer,  he  will 
have  a  congregation  rested  and  refreshed  who  will 
enter  into  the  program  of  the  church  with  the  greatest 
enthusiasm.  The  fall  rally  will  also  give  the  church 
an  opportunity  to  enlist  newcomers  to  the  parish. 
There  will  be,  during  the  summer  as  at  other  seasons, 
removals  of  some  families  and  new  families  will  be 
coming  into  the  parish.  It  should  be  the  aim  of  the 
church  to  bring  into  the  church  services  on  Rally 
Sunday  representatives  of  every  new  family  that  has 
come  to  the  parish.  The  pastor  and  his  committee 
should  feel  that  it  rests  upon  them  as  an  imperative 
duty  that  the  interest  of  these  new  people  should  be 
aroused  and  they  should  be  brought  into  the  church 
services. 

The  fall  rally  Is  planned  to  reinterest  the  members 
and  former  attendants  of  the  church  and  to  secure 
the  interest  of  newcomers  to  the  parish.  In  addition, 
a  well-conducted  rally  will  cause  the  people  of  the 
community  at  large  to  think  of  their  obligations  to 
the  church  and  to  plan  for  their  own  participation  in 
its  worship  and  service.  They  will  be  led  to  think 
of  the  church  as  the  heart  of  the  community,  as  the 
seat  of  the  community's  conscience,  as  the  source  of 
those  streams  of  righteousness  and  community  help- 
fulness which  purify  and  invigorate  the  entire  com- 
munity life.  A  well-conducted  rally  acquaints  the 
community  with  the  church,  its  plans,  its  methods, 
its  personnel  and  its  outlook.  It  gives  the  pastor  a 
splendid  opportunity  of  meeting  personally  a  great 
many  new  people  and  of  saying  a  word  of  encourage- 
ment to  the  members  of  his  congregation.    It  gives 


44  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

the  church  the  finest  sort  of  opportunity  to  present 
its  program  to  the  people  of  the  community  at  large 
and  let  them  know  that  here  is  an  institution  which 
seeks  not  its  own  welfare,  but  is  interested  in  every 
good  thing  in  the  lives  of  the  people  and  of  the  com- 
munity as  a  whole. 

The  church  rally  it  will  be  seen  is  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent event  from  the  rallies  of  the  Sunday-school, 
the  young  people's  society,  or  like  organizations. 
These  rallies,  which  will  in  all  likelihood  come  in  their 
own  time  and  follow  their  own  programs,  are  of  the 
greatest  value  to  the  work  of  their  respective  organi- 
zations and  contribute  largely  to  the  esprit  de  corps 
of  the  whole  enterprise.  Effective  as  they  may  be, 
they  fall  short  of  accomplishing  what  ought  to  be 
done  in  the  fall  of  the  year  to  enlist  new  families  and 
to  reenlist  former  members  in  regular  attendance  at 
church  and  fellowship  in  its  worship  and  service. 

The  forms  of  the  fall  rally  are  many  and  the  pastor 
and  his  committee  should  seek  to  vary  the  program 
year  by  year.  In  some  sections  of  the  country  the 
rally  is  known  as  the  Harvest  Home  Service,  and  per- 
haps this  is  the  most  successful  type  of  fall  rally. 
In  churches  where  the  fall  rally  takes  the  form  of  a 
Harvest  Home  Service  the  church  is  usually  deco- 
rated with  the  fruits  of  field  and  orchard,  the  hymns 
are  of  a  thanksgiving  nature.  This  is  an  historical 
form  of  church  service,  as  from  the  earliest  days  the 
New  England  Colonists  celebrated  the  harvest  home 
in  late  September  or  early  October,  which  was  a 
service  entirely  different  In  kind  and  quality  from  the 
more  formal  service  of  Thanksgiving  Day.     Those 


FALL  ACTIVITIES  45 

churches  that  use  the  Harvest  Home  type  of  fall 
rally  do  not  find  any  interference  whatever  with  the 
later  celebration  of  Thanksgiving  Day. 

Another  type  is  the  Reunion  Service.  Many 
churches  find  this  a  most  effective  service,  the  object 
being  to  secure  if  possible  the  attendance  of  former 
members  and  attendants  who  live  at  a  distance,  and 
to  bring  to  this  service  as  many  of  the  community 
as  possible,  especially  the  older  residents  who  may 
not  have  been  active  in  the  services  of  the  church, 
and  the  newcomers  to  the  parish,  that  all  may  know 
more  of  the  service  and  worship  of  the  church. 

Still  another  form  is  the  Family  Sunday.  This 
has  been  found  very  helpful,  the  object  being  to  se- 
cure the  attendance  of  the  people  by  families,  a  sort 
of  revival  for  the  day  of  that  almost  forgotten  custom 
of  families  going  to  church  and  sitting  together  in 
the  same  pew.  In  addition  to  these  forms  there  is 
the  so-called  "  Go  to  Church  Sunday,"  with  its  well- 
known  variations.  Whatever  form  is  adopted  the 
program  should  fit  into  the  ideal  of  the  day.  The 
songs,  the  Scripture  and  particularly  the  sermon 
should  deal  with  the  unifying  thought  of  our  com- 
mon life  which  the  day  seeks  to  hold  in  memory  and 
the  object  and  method  of  carrying  through  this  item 
of  the  program  of  the  church  should  be  held  ever 
in  mind. 

During  the  fall  it  is  quite  likely  that  the  pastor  and 
his  committee  will  care  to  go  over  the  parish  at  least 
twice.  First  as  a  preliminary  canvass  for  the  pur- 
pose of  inviting  the  members  of  the  congregation  and 
others  to  participate  in  the  exercises  of  Rally  Sunday 


46  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

and  to  secure  their  cooperation  in  inviting  their  neigh- 
bours ;  and  also  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  list  of 
those  who  may  be  considered  as  prospective  members 
of  the  parish,  particularly  the  newcomers  to  the 
parish  and  those  residents  of  the  parish  with  whom 
the  pastor  feels  the  church  has  opportunity  to  exert 
its  influence.  The  second  canvass  ought  to  be  in  the 
nature  of  a  thoroughgoing  parish  visitation.  For  this 
there  is  not  time  before  the  fall  rally,  as  to  accom- 
plish the  best  results  in  a  visitation  of  this  sort  there 
must  be  sufficient  leisure  to  permit  a  satisfactory 
piece  of  work. 

The  Preliminary  Canvass 

The  preliminary  canvass  is  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  correct  addresses  of  present  members  and 
of  registering  all  changes  in  the  families  of  the  mem- 
bers— marriages,  deaths,  removals,  additions,  visitors 
or  roomers  with  families — but  primarily  to  learn 
where  the  members  are,  how  the  summer  has  gone 
with  them  and  of  the  new  people  of  the  community. 

The  importance  of  correct  lists  of  names.  One  of 
the  first  things  which  a  pastor  and  his  committee 
will  realize  as  they  begin  to  work  their  program 
along  practical  lines  is  the  absolute  necessity  of  an 
up-to-date  list  of  constituents,  supporters  and  pros- 
pects. Many  a  church  organization  has  lost  influ- 
ence with  families  by  sending  mail  to  an  address 
which  has  not  been  the  home  for  months  past.  Other 
errors  are  that  names  are  misspelled,  initials  mis- 
placed, street  numbers  and  the  names  of  members 
of  the  family  are  found  lacking  in  many  church  lists. 


FALL  ACTIVITIES  47 

The  way  in  which  many  church  rolls  are  kept  is 
enough  to  make  angels  weep.  Where  this  is  the  case 
it  is  generally  but  one  index  of  the  way  in  which 
other  work  of  the  parish  is  carried  on,  but  which 
lacks  so  visible  a  means  of  registering  neglect.  The 
preliminary  canvass  should  result  in  an  up-to-date  list 
of  names  which  will  likely  fall  into  five  divisions. 

(i)  The  names  of  members.  The  committee 
ought  to  be  absolutely  sure  that  these  members  are 
living  at  the  address  given  and  whether  or  not  there 
is  any  serious  illness  or  any  special  reason  for  the  im- 
mediate attention  of  the  pastor. 

(2)  List  of  contributors.  This  list  should  in- 
dicate who  of  the  contributors  are  members  and  who 
are  not.  Contributors  who  are  not  members  are 
usually  prospective  church  members. 

(3)  List  of  attendants  of  the  church.  These  are 
the  names  of  members  of  the  congregation  who  are 
not  listed  on  either  the  membership  list  or  the  list  of 
contributors.  These  attendants  at  the  church  who 
are  neither  members  nor  contributors  are  of  course 
favourable  prospects  as  church  members. 

(4)  There  will  be  next  a  list  of  those  looking  to 
the  church  for  spiritual  ministry.  That  is  to  say,  In 
the  community  there  will  be  families  where  the  min- 
ister is  called  for  weddings,  funerals,  baptisms  and 
other  ministrations,  where  the  people  are  seemingly 
unattached  to  the  church  but  by  this  call  for  spiri- 
tual ministry,  align  themselves  as  having  interest 
in  this  church.  So  whenever  the  pastor  or  church 
worker  is  asked  to  minister  to  families  not  connected 
v/ith  the  church,  these  all  should  be  listed  as  people 


48  PABISH  EVANGELISM 

worth  while  to  cultivate,   for  they  look  upon  this 
church  as  their  church. 

(5)  Lastly,  those  unattached  people  of  good-will 
in  the  community  who  through  the  recommendation 
of  neighbours,  doctors,  visitors,  newcomers,  or  old 
residents,  are  on  the  list  of  future  prospects.  It  will 
be  a  source  of  surprise  to  the  pastor  and  his  com- 
mittee to  find  how  far  the  influence  of  his  church 
extends  and  how  many  people  in  the  community  look 
to  him  and  his  church  for  spiritual  leadership. 
There  are  few  people  in  any  community  who  are  not 
interested  in  the  church  as  a  whole  and  in  one  church 
more  than  another.  While  they  may  not  show  this 
interest  openly  in  any  way,  yet  almost  every  family 
feels  a  sort  of  attachment  to  some  church  and  it  is 
the  pastor's  responsibility  to  see  that  this  interest  is 
cultivated. 

The  Object  of  the  Church  Rally 
The  real  object  of  the  Church  Rally  is  to  put  the 
worship  and  service  of  the  church  into  the  thought 
of  the  people,  and  everything  should  be  done  to  this 
end.  Some  useful  methods  are  the  writing  of  per- 
sonal letters  to  former  members,  the  use  of  printed 
invitations,  the  wide  distribution  of  material  bearing 
upon  the  work  of  the  church,  and  attractive  an- 
nouncements in  store  windows  and  in  the  daily  papers 
together  with  an  inviting  and  wide-awake  program 
for  the  day,  and,  above  all  else  in  value,  the  personal 
work  of  the  members  of  the  congregation  in  inviting 
others.  The  church  of  course  is  under  a  very  heavy 
responsibility  that  the  program  as  advertised  be  car- 


FALL  ACTIVITIES  49 

ried  through  and  that  all  who  have  a  part  in  the 
program  really  "  deliver  the  goods  " ;  that  the  music 
and  the  sermon  and  all  other  parts  of  the  service  be 
such  as  to  cause  those  who  come  in  response  to  the 
invitation  to  want  to  make  churchgoing,  and  espe- 
cially to  this  church,  a  part  of  their  weekly  sched- 
ule. 

An  Example 
One  successful  pastor  used  the  following  method 
to  create  interest  in  the  Rally  in  his  church:  The 
accurate  list  of  members  of  his  own  church  was  sup- 
plemented by  the  names  of  all  the  residents  of  the 
community  not  affiliated  with  any  other  church,  in- 
cluding the  names  of  the  unchurched  newcomers  in 
the  parish.  Four  weeks  before  his  "  Family  Day  " 
he  sent  to  all  a  letter  of  invitation  with  a  brief 
folder  on  "  Why  Going  to  Church  Strengthens  Char- 
acter." The  second  week  he  sent  to  each  a  folder 
on  "  What  the  Church  Should  Contribute  to  the  Life 
of  the  Community."  The  third  week  he  sent  a  leaflet 
on  "  How  You  Can  Help  This  Church  Serve  This 
Community."  In  this  were  listed  various  tasks  for 
which  workers  were  desired.  And  then  on  the  week 
of  the  Sunday  to  be  observed,  he  sent  the  program  of 
the  Sunday  service  and  a  leaflet  on  "  What  This 
Church  Offers  You."  An  informal  welcoming  com- 
mittee was  appointed  and  the  members  were  given 
careful  preparation  for  their  duties  of  the  day — to 
make  the  newcomers  feel  at  home,  and  to  secure 
their  names  and  addresses.  In  this  church,  "  Family 
Day  "  was  a  great  success,  and  the  year's  work  was 


60  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

initiated  with  momentum  and  the  natural  inertia  of 
the  congregation  reduced  to  the  minimum. 

If  the  program  for  the  year  has  not  been  presented 
at  a  special  Program  Sunday,  it  will  be  found  ex- 
ceedingly effective  to  make  this  presentation  a  part 
of  the  rally  day  exercises.  At  least  the  printed  pro- 
gram should  be  presented  and  the  church  be  made  to 
feel  that  the  Rally  Sunday  is  the  opening  of  a  new 
year  in  the  life  of  that  church  and  that  around  the 
program  they  are  all  to  build  into  the  worship  and 
service  of  the  church  the  best  of  their  faith  and 
thought  and  prayer.  As  churches  continue  to  use 
the  rally  day  service,  there  will  be  suggested  to  them 
many  forms  and  features  which  will  add  to  the  in- 
terest and  effectiveness  of  the  day.  It  will  be  found 
that  year  by  year  the  people  will  look  forward  to  the 
annual  day — Harvest  Home,  Home  Coming,  Pro- 
gram Sunday,  or  whatever  other  form  may  be 
adopted — with  much  pleasurable  anticipation  and  the 
thrill  and  optimism  which  come  to  the  congregation 
that  does  one  good  thing  in  effective  fashion  will  be 
of  the  greatest  help  in  carrying  through  the  other 
features  of  the  program. 


FALL  VISITATION  AND  PASTORAL 
CALLING 

FOLLOWING  Rally  Sunday  there  should  be  a 
painstaking  visitation  of  the  entire  parish. 
The  preliminary  canvass  for  names  prepara- 
tory to  Rally  Sunday  v^ill  bring  to  the  pastor  and  his 
committee  many  nev^  names  as  well  as  refresh  their 
memory  of  some  neglected  people  of  the  parish  v^^ho 
should  be  called  upon  at  once.  In  addition  to  these, 
the  entire  church  constituency  should  be  visited.  At 
least  once  each  year  the  pastor  or  his  assistant  should 
visit  every  home  in  the  parish.  Such  a  visitation  v^rill 
be  of  the  greatest  helpfulness  to  the  work  of  the 
church. 

Pastoral  Calling 
It  is  not  necessary  to  introduce  here  a  discussion 
of  pastoral  calling  except  to  say  this:  In  making  a 
call  on  a  family  the  pastor  should  have  in  mind  just 
what  his  object  is.  This  may  be  outlined  in  part  as 
follows:  He  represents  the  organized  church  in  its 
worship  and  service,  and  his  conversation,  as  well 
as  his  presence,  should  emphasize  this  fact.  His  con- 
versation will  naturally  begin  with  the  family,  the 
members  of  the  family,  where  they  have  employment, 
if  they  are  progressing  in  their  employment;  what 

51 


62  PAEI8H  EVANGELISM 

kinds  of  ambitions  the  different  members  may  have ; 
what  sort  of  an  ideal  the  mother  has  for  the  future 
of  her  children ;  what  are  the  dominating  interests  in 
the  family  life;  what  interest  there  is  in  religion; 
what  participation  they  have  had  in  church  life  and 
V^ork  heretofore;  the  special  needs  of  the  family;  in 
what  manner  the  church  may  make  a  definite  con- 
tribution, both  to  the  family  life  and  to  the  lives  of 
the  individuals,  and  to  what  specific  tasks  in  the 
church  they  can  be  invited.  These  are  in  brief  some 
of  the  topics  the  pastor  should  have  in  mind  as  he 
directs  his  conversation. 

Of  course  it  is  understood  that  the  pastor  will  be 
wise  enough  not  to  make  this  evident,  but  the  visit 
should  result  in  the  pastor's  coming  away  from  that 
home  with  these  items  of  information  securely  fixed 
in  his  own  mind,  and  as  soon  as  he  reaches  his  study 
he  should  put  on  paper  his  impressions,  the  needs 
and  the  opportunities  of  this  family.  In  this  way  he 
has  before  him  the  data  upon  which  to  base  the 
campaign  which  he  and  the  members  of  his  church 
will  cany  through,  the  object  of  which  is  that  the 
church  shall  minister  to  the  needs  of  this  family  and 
shall  win  them  to  whole-hearted  service  in  the  church 
and  fellowship  in  its  worship.  When  one  realizes 
the  long  and  careful  period  of  cultivation  required 
to  bring  a  family  not  in  touch  with  the  church,  into 
active  participation  in  its  worship  and  service,  he  will 
weigh  very  carefully  the  various  elements  of  such  a 
program  and  will  appraise  the  introductory  visit  and 
analysis  of  conditions  and  opportunities  very  highly 
indeed. 


VISITATION  AND  PASTOEAL  CALLING    53 

The  neglect  of  a  thoroughgoing  pastoral  visitation 
of  the  parish  is  perhaps  the  outstanding  cause  of 
failure  on  the  part  of  pastors.  It  has  long  been  said 
that  "  a  home  visiting  pastor  has  a  churchgoing  peo- 
ple." There  have  been  a  few  outstanding  pulpit 
orators  in  American  church  life  who  have  been  able 
to  build  up  and  hold  year  after  year  a  congregation 
through  the  power  of  their  pulpit  presentation;  but 
the  sad  thing  about  such  an  enterprise  is  that  with 
few  exceptions,  after  the  death  or  resignation  of  such 
a  pulpit  prince  the  congregation  has  melted  away  and 
the  organization  ofttimes  given  up  its  life.  What  is 
said  here  is  not  intended  in  any  way  to  disparage 
adequate  and  effective  pulpit  presentation  of  the 
Gospel.  I  believe  with  all  my  heart  that  the  best 
preaching  the  world  has  ever  known  is  not  in  the  past 
but  in  the  future.  A  minister  who  loves  his  work 
and  who  has  the  sense  of  honour  towards  the  obliga- 
tion he  has  assumed  to  Christ,  and  mankind,  will  do 
everything  in  his  power  to  strengthen  the  persuasive- 
ness of  his  sermons  that  they  may  instruct,  inspire 
and  warm  the  lives  of  his  people.  The  pulpit  service 
of  the  church  is  perhaps  the  best  cared  for  of  any 
feature  of  church  work  and  nine-tenths  of  the  books 
in  the  average  pastor's  library  and  perhaps  an  equal 
proportion  of  his  time  and  study  in  the  seminary  are 
devoted  to  sermons,  sermon  preparation,  sermon 
material.  But  however  important  the  work  of  the 
pulpit  may  be  and  however  much  it  may  be  stressed, 
the  effective  pastor  is  far  more  than  a  preacher,  or, 
in  other  words,  he  has  a  responsibility  resting  upon 
him  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  in  conversation  and  m 


64  PABISH  EVANGELISM 

an  individual  service,  day  by  day,  during  the  weekj, 
v^rhich  is  every  whit  as  much  of  a  responsibility  as  is 
his  duty  of  devoting  himself  to  the  highest  ideals  of 
pulpit  presentation. 

I  am  qaiite  sure  that  the  district  superintendents 
and  secretaries  v^ho  come  in  touch  with  many  min- 
isters will  testify  that  the  outstanding  cause  of  fail- 
ure on  the  part  of  ministers  is  a  failure  to  minister 
to  the  people  in  their  homes.  One  superintendent 
said  to  me  not  long  since  that  he  had  known  many 
fine  preachers  to  fail  in  advancement,  but  he  had 
never  yet  known  a  careful  pastor  to  lose  his  grip  on 
his  people  or  to  fail  to  make  a  satisfactory  advance 
in  his  life's  work.  Why  so  many  pastors  will  neglect 
this  prime  requirement  of  their  profession  is  beyond 
comprehension.  It  would  seem  that  the  average 
pastor  would  cherish  above  everything  else  his  op- 
portunities for  pastoral  service  amid  the  homes  and 
families  of  his  people.  In  addition  to  the  influence 
upon  the  people  of  the  parish  of  thorough  pastoral 
service  there  is  also  a  deep  influence  upon  the  pastor 
himself. 

One  of  America's  outstanding  pastors  has  said  that 
after  he  has  read  along  the  lines  of  his  intended 
sermon,  before  he  preaches  it  to  his  people  he  must 
give  himself  to  some  thoroughgoing  pastoral  visita- 
tion where  he  will  be  brought  into  intimate  touch 
with  some  of  his  people  w^ho  are  facing,  not  theoret- 
ical problems  but  the  hard  facts  of  actual  existence. 
One  of  the  difficult  things  that  the  average  church 
secretary  is  called  upon  to  do  is  to  go  from  church 
to  church  after  pastors  have  resigned  and  gone  away 


VISITATION  AKD  PASTOEAL  CALLING     55 

discouraged,  leaving  perhaps  their  people  even  more 
discouraged  than  they,  and  to  hear  from  the  people 
that  the  pastor  was  a  mighty  fine  man,  a  good 
preacher,  but  he  absolutely  did  not  call  on  his  people. 
A  case  comes  to  mind  where  the  president  of  a 
board  of  trustees  in  making  a  request  that  a  new 
pastor  be  recommended  to  the  church,  said  this :  "  We 
do  not  care  particularly  about  his  pulpit  ability,  but 
"we  do  want  to  know  whether  or  not  he  will  care  for 
the  souls  of  the  people  sufficiently  to  visit  them  in 
their  homes,  as  the  last  pastor  we  had,  who  was  here 
nine  years,  failed  to  call  on  some  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  church  during  his  entire  pastorate  and  so 
far  as  I  know  never  called  on  a  new  family  until 
they  had  shown  a  lively  interest  in  the  church." 

In  discussing  this  with  a  state  superintendent,  a 
man  of  delightful  personality  and  beautiful  home 
life,  he  said  to  me,  "  Do  you  know  that  I  have  been 
state  superintendent  for  twenty  years  and  in  that 
time  I  have  lived  in  four  parishes;  my  wife  and  I 
have  always  been  as  regular  attendants  of  the  church 
where  our  membership  happened  to  be  as  was  pos- 
sible, and  in  the  entire  twenty  years  not  one  single 
pastor  that  we  have  had,  nor  his  wife,  has  ever  set 
their  foot  within  our  door." 

A  certain  minister  of  my  acquaintance  who  is 
rated  as  one  of  the  strongest  preachers  in  the  city, 
who  was  in  demand  continually  as  a  speaker  before 
commercial,  social  and  college  groups,  announced  to 
his  congregation  when  he  accepted  the  pastorate  that 
he  considered  the  day  of  pastoral  calling  past,  but 
that  if  any  of  the  members  of  the  parish  needed  his 


56  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

presence  because  of  sickness  or  other  reasons,  and 
would  send  for  him,  he  would  be  only  too  glad  to 
serve  them,  and  that  he  and  his  wife  would  try  to 
return  such  calls  as  were  made  upon  them.  But  as 
to  other  calling  he  felt  that  it  was  entirely  needless 
and  a  trouble  not  only  to  the  people  but  to  himself, 
and  he  proposed  to  devote  more  of  his  time  to  ser- 
mon preparation  and  to  study  and  contemplation, 
rather  than  chasing  hither  and  yon  over  the  parish. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  in  spite  of  his  brilliant  pulpit 
powers,  his  church  lost  in  attendance,  in  interest, 
and  he,  himself,  became  discouraged  and  pessimistic 
and  his  resignation  followed  in  due  time.  His  suc- 
cessor was  a  man  of  very  indifferent  pulpit  power, 
lacked  in  personal  magnetism  and  eloquence,  but  he 
had  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
congregation  and  was  willing  to  show  that  interest 
by  visiting  the  people  and  becoming  one  with  them, 
sharing  their  trials  and  their  hopes  and  their  joys. 
Under  his  administration  the  congregations  are  al- 
most double  those  of  the  more  brilliant  preacher  who 
neglected  his  pastoral  work. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said  of  the  pastor's 
visiting  the  homes,  where  he  shares  more  than  likely 
with  the  mother  in  interest,  the  anxiety  and  the  prob- 
lem of  the  children  and  home  life,  he  should  by  no 
means  neglect  his  visiting  with  the  men  of  his  church 
in  their  places  of  employment.  As  a  usual  thing 
men  cannot  devote  very  long  time  but  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  take  a  great  deal  of  time,  unless  there  is  some 
special  problem.  The  minister  should  call  in  the 
office  of  his  business  men,  look  into  the  factory  of 


VISITATION  AND  PASTOEAL  CALLING    57 

his  working  men,  walk  across  the  farm  of  his  farmer 
members,  and  chat  briefly  with  his  people.  A  min- 
ister who  will  walk  down  an  alley  in  a  factory  to 
where  one  of  his  men  in  overalls  is  working  day  after 
day  and  will  simply  lay  his  hand  on  that  man's  shoul- 
der and  speak  a  word  of  encouragement  to  him  as  he 
grinds  away  with  almost  deadly  monotony  month 
after  month,  held  to  his  grind  by  his  love  of  family 
and  ideals  of  industry,  that  minister  will  see  a  look 
of  real  gratitude  in  that  man's  eyes  which  will  be  as 
a  benediction  to  him  through  the  days  to  come. 

Hence  it  is  that  a  minister  as  he  loves  his  own 
soul  should  be  faithful  to  his  duty  to  his  people;  to 
see  them  in  their  daily  life,  to  encourage  them  and 
help  them  bear  their  burdens.  Where  this  is  the  case 
most  of  the  problems  of  that  parish  will  be  solved 
and  the  men  and  women  who  compose  it  will  be  tied 
together  by  enduring  cords  of  love. 

What  is  here  described  as  "  The  Fall  Visitation  " 
and  listed  as  part  of  the  fall  program  ought  to  be  in 
a  way  continuous;  that  is  to  say,  the  pastor  will  be 
finding  new  people  whom  he  will  look  up  in  the  same 
painstaking  way  as  he  has  those  of  whom  he  learned 
through  the  fall  activities.  The  fall  offers  an  espe- 
cially opportune  time  for  this  careful  visitation,  as 
the  rush  of  the  various  programs  is  not  so  pressing 
and  the  gathering  of  names  early  in  the  year  affords 
more  opportunities  for  cultivation  than  when  the 
visitation  is  made  later  in  the  winter.  If  this  work 
is  not  started  and  carried  as  far  as  possible  in  the 
fall,  it  adds  much  to  the  complexity  of  the  after- 
Christmas  or  pre-Lenten  program. 


68  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

The  Fall  Reception 
Many  churches  plan  for  a  fall  reception  of  new 
members  at  the  October  or  November  communion. 
If  the  visitation  has  been  carefully  made  it  will  be 
found  especially  advisable  to  follow  with  a  fall  re- 
ception of  members,  for  the  pastor  will  find  families 
who  are  willing  and  ready  to  join  the  church  at  the 
first  invitation  either  by  letter  or  on  confession. 
There  will  also  be  a  number  who  though  willing  were 
prevented  for  one  reason  or  another  from  uniting 
with  the  church  at  the  Easter  or  spring  communion, 
but  who  are  now  ready  to  become  members.  A  sur- 
prisingly large  number  of  people  may  be  brought 
into  the  church  at  the  fall  communion.  The  pastor 
should  prize  such  an  ingathering  very  highly,  not 
only  because  those  who  unite  with  the  church  in  the 
fall  gain  what  amounts  to  almost  a  full  year  of 
service,  but  also  because  such  a  reception  will  gpive 
tone  and  direction  to  the  whole  year's  plan.  It  will 
center  the  thought  of  the  church  upon  this  fact — 
that  the  church  has  a  clearly  defined  program  with  a 
definite  aim,  the  enlisting  of  people  in  the  worship 
and  service  of  the  church.  The  fall  ingathering 
should  be  looked  upon  not  as  an  end  of  any  sort  of 
a  campaign,  but  as  the  beginning  of  the  year's  work 
of  the  church. 

Results  of  the  Fall  Work 
So  the  pastor  will  come  to  the  holiday  season  hav- 
ing accomplished  three  definite  things : 

I.    Through  the  Rally  he  has  encouraged  his  pec- 


VISITATION  AND  PASTOKAL  CALLING    59 

pie  to  keep  up  the  habit  of  regular  churchgoing,  and 
has  assisted  others  to  form  the  churchgoing  habit. 

2.  Through  the  visitation  he  has  secured  the 
names  and  addresses  of  new  families,  with  definite 
information  concerning  them  without  which  his  ef- 
forts are  bound  to  be  shots  in  the  dark. 

3.  He  has  welcomed  into  the  church  all  those 
who  are  willing  to  come,  and  by  so  doing  given  his 
people  a  vision  of  the  possibilities  of  the  year's  pro- 
gram, and  has  registered  clearly  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  his  determination  to  carry  through  a  practical 
plan  of  church  work. 

It  is  understood  that  during  this  period  of  the 
year,  from  September  to  December,  the  pastor  will 
be  busy  with  many  other  lines  of  church  work — 
mission  study,  stewardship,  the  financial  canvass,  as 
well  as  his  constant  routine  of  parish  duties.  These 
activities,  however,  will  all  prove  grist  for  his  mill, 
for  through  them  he  may  reach  many  men  and 
women  and  help  them  to  give  expression  to  their 
religious  faith.  The  pastor  should  feel  that  these 
features  of  church  work  instead  of  interfering  with 
the  evangelistic  program  are  of  the  greatest  helpful- 
ness in  developing  that  program  along  practical  lines. 


VI 

JANUARY  TO  EASTER 

THE  work  of  the  church  during  the  January- 
to-Easter  period  while  in  some  respects 
similar  to  that  of  the  fall  is  in  other  re- 
spects radically  different.  The  change  of  seasons 
brings  usually  a  change  in  the  attitude  of  the  people 
towards  life  and  its  responsibilities.  To  most  people 
the  beginning  of  the  calendar  year  is  the  beginning  of 
a  new  era.  Much  of  the  thought  of  the  people  dur- 
ing the  fall  is  devoted  to  the  closing  up  of  a  year's 
work.  This  is  true  in  business,  on  the  farm,  in 
factories,  and  in  most  kinds  of  work.  During  the 
fall  months  many  persons  are  very  busy  in  prepara- 
tion for  Christmas  and  the  holidays  and  not  many 
have  time  to  look  beyond  this  season  of  hurry. 
When  the  holiday  time  is  past  most  people  find  them- 
selves a  bit  out  of  breath,  more  or  less  lost  as  to  time 
and  direction;  and  they  realize  that  they  must  now 
plan  for  another  year's  work.  As  with  individuals, 
so  with  the  church — new  phases  of  the  year's  pro- 
gram with  new  objectives  must  be  emphasized. 
Those  who  observe  the  Christian  year  will  find  a 
natural  climax  for  the  period  following  the  holidays 
at  the  Easter  season. 

60 


JANUAEY  TO  EASTER  61 

If  the  pastor  and  his  committee  have  initiated  at  the 
beginning  of  the  church  year  in  September  or  Oc- 
tober a  thoroughgoing  program,  and  have  carried 
through  in  effective  fashion  the  fall  activities,  their 
work  will  be  simplified.  For  one  thing,  they  will 
find  that  much  of  the  inertia  of  the  congregation  will 
have  been  overcome  and  that  the  organization  is  feel- 
ing in  all  departments  of  its  life  new  vigour  and  en- 
thusiasm. As  the  program  has  progressed  there  will 
be  developed  the  will  to  succeed,  which  is  of  the  ut- 
most necessity  in  accomplishing  any  worth-while  piece 
of  work.  In  the  second  place  the  pastor  will  find 
his  committee  becoming  familiar  with  their  tasks 
and  there  will  be  a  growing  unity  of  purpose  on  the 
part  of  those  who  are  associated  with  him  in  this 
service.  The  fall  work  of  the  church  will  result  in 
the  members  becoming  united  in  support  of  the  pro- 
gram of  religious  work  for  the  commitment  of  men 
to  Christ  and  their  enlistment  in  the  Christian  life. 

When  the  Program  is  Postponed  Until  January 
It  sometimes  happens  that  there  are  valid  reasons 
for  not  beginning  the  program  of  evangelism  until 
after  the  New  Year.  Some  pastors  have  found  this 
advisable  when  the  program  was  introduced  for  the 
first  time,  as  the  January-to-Easter  period  is  especially 
favourable  to  an  evangelistic  program  and  people  co- 
operate more  readily.  If  the  church  has  not  worked 
to  a  year's  program  many  pastors  believe  that  it  is 
wiser  to  concentrate  on  the  January-to-Easter  period 
for  the  first  year,  with  the  expectation  that  for  the 
following  year  the  program  will  be  begun  in  the  fall 


62  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

and  carried  through  the  entire  church  year.  There 
is  a  good  deal  of  logic  in  this  position,  and  if  a  pastor 
feels  that  his  people  are  not  united  sufficiently  in 
thought  as  to  the  object  and  methods  of  the  evan- 
gelistic program  to  make  the  fall  opening  a  success, 
it  may  be  the  best  thing  to  concentrate  on  the  part 
of  the  year  which  has  everything  in  its  favour  and 
when  the  minimum  of  effort  will  bring  the  maximum 
of  results.  Where  pastors  follow  this  plan  it  is  par- 
ticularly advisable  that  the  church  clearly  under- 
stands that  the  stress  of  the  January-to-Easter  period 
for  one  year  is  but  the  preparation  for  a  full  year's 
program  for  the  next  year.  Again,  there  may  be 
other  reasons  for  postponing  the  opening  of  a  pro- 
gram until  after  January — as  a  building  enterprise, 
a  change  of  pastors,  a  particular  financial  campaign, 
community  movements,  or  a  variety  of  other  demands 
which  seem  to  the  pastor  and  his  advisers  to  make 
unwise  the  initiation  of  the  program  until  after  the 
first  of  January. 

Where  this  is  the  case,  from  whatever  reason,  it 
must  be  clearly  in  mind  that  what  has  been  said  as 
to  the  necessity  of  a  program  for  the  year  in  the 
opening  chapters  bears  with  equal  weight  upon  the 
situation,  and  that  if  the  Easter  season  is  to  mark  a 
spiritual  growth  in  the  church  and  an  increase  in  its 
influence  in  the  community  there  must  be  well-laid 
plans  and  careful  preparation.  If  the  fall  program 
has  not  been  organized  and  carried  through,  two 
features  of  that  program— the  Church  Rally  and  the 
careful  Visitation — should  receive  special  attention. 
The  Church  Rally  is  not  nearly  so  advantageous  after 


JANUABY  TO  EASTEE  63 

the  holidays  as  it  is  following  the  summer  vacation, 
although  some  ministers  use  the  "  Week  of  Prayer  " 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  people  together  for  spe- 
cial meetings.  In  past  years  it  was  the  custom  in 
many  churches  to  begin  the  year  with  a  series  of 
devotional  or  evangelistic  meetings.  Among  the 
Methodist  churches  a  custom  of  a  January  revival 
meeting  was  almost  universal  and  in  many  parts  of 
the  country  this  plan  is  still  followed.  But  more 
and  more  pastors  are  coming  to  realize  that  to  carry 
through  a  successful  series  of  meetings  more  prepara- 
tion is  required  than  can  be  given  in  the  closing 
weeks  of  the  year,  and  that  it  is  more  effective  to 
plan  the  work,  organize  and  train  the  people,  for  a 
series  of  meetings  to  be  held  previous  to  Easter. 
The  Week  of  Prayer,  however,  does  afford  those 
who  observe  it  an  opportunity  to  rally  the  more  seri- 
ous-minded people  and  to  secure  their  active  co- 
operation in  the  program  for  the  rest  of  the  year. 

The  parish  visitation  which  has  been  outlined  as  a 
part  of  the  fall  work,  if  omitted  at  that  time,  must 
receive  attention  now.  A  careful  visitation  of  the 
parish,  carried  out  in  a  thoroughgoing  way,  is  abso- 
lutely essential  to  the  success  of  the  program  when- 
ever it  is  projected,  for  through  it  the  church  mem- 
bership becomes  unified,  new  people  are  discovered 
and  new  life  brought  into  all  departments  of  the  work 
of  the  church.  The  people  usually  feel  that  if  there 
is  a  cause  in  which  the  pastor  and  others  feel  suf- 
ficiently interested  to  come  and  talk  over  with  them 
individually,  it  is  surely  of  sufficient  importance  for 
them  to  give  to  it  their  best  thought.    And  further- 


64  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

more,  without  the  information  which  the  visitation 
makes  available,  much  of  the  efforts  of  the  pastor 
and  the  committee  will  be  lost. 

The  Objects  to  he  Accomplished  in  the  January-to- 
Easter  Period 

Whether  the  program  has  been  initiated  in  the 
fall  and  carried  through  in  careful  fashion,  or 
whether  it  is  to  be  initiated  with  the  opening  of  the 
calendar  year,  the  objects  to  be  accomplished  in  the 
January-to-Easter  period  should  be  clearly  in  mind. 
The  first  aim  of  the  season's  activities  is  that  the 
people  have  a  fresh  conception  of  the  life  and  teach- 
ings  of  Jesus  Christ.  Those  who  follow  the  church 
year,  who  believe  in  Christmas  as  commemorating 
the  birth  of  Christ,  Christ's  struggle  in  temptation 
as  remembered  during  the  Lenten  season,  and  His 
death  and  resurrection  on  Good  Friday  and  Easter, 
have  a  splendid  opportunity  to  review  the  whole  life 
of  Christ  during  this  Christmas-to-Easter  period. 
To  accomplish  this  purpose  there  is  first  the  pro- 
gram of  preaching  and  second  the  pastor's  training 
class. 

The  program  of  preaching  for  the  January-to- 
Easter  period  should  be  definite,  progressive,  devo- 
tional and  practical.  The  pastor  who  utilizes  this 
period  of  the  year  to  present  a  series  of  sermons 
dealing  with  the  foundation  principles  of  Christian 
belief  will  find  his  people  growing  in  grace  and 
knowledge.  In  his  pulpit  presentation  the  pastor  is 
continually  trying  to  give  his  people  Christian  doc- 
trine and  principles  of  Christian  living,  but  we  learn 


JANUARY  TO  EASTER  65 

slowly  and  a  constant  reviving  of  the  fundamentals 
is  necessary.  Some  one  has  said  that  the  human 
mind  can  accept  and  assimilate  but  one  new  thought 
each  day.  Through  the  program  of  preaching  of  the 
January-to-Easter  period  there  is  offered  an  oppor- 
timity  for  the  church  to  renew  its  teaching  function 
in  presenting  the  fundamentals  of  Christian  belief, 
in  appealing  fashion,  at  the  time  when  people  are  in 
most  receptive  mood. 

While  the  pastor  is  accomplishing  these  things 
through  the  ministry  of  his  pulpit,  he  will  be  doing 
the  same  things  in  more  school-like  fashion  with  the 
young  people  who  form  the  pastor's  training  class. 
More  and  more  pastors  are  feeling  the  responsibility 
for  the  religious  training  of  their  young  people. 
They  realize  that  the  church  school,  with  all  its 
splendid  curriculum  and  effective  teachers,  does  not 
accomplish  all  that  is  desired.  There  is  still  work 
for  him  to  do.  It  is  his  responsibility  to  bring  to- 
gether in  logical  fashion  in  the  minds  of  the  chil- 
dren the  truths  which  they  have  received  in  the 
church  school ;  to  help  the  child  to  discover  for  him- 
self the  need  as  well  as  the  reasonableness  of  re- 
ligious faith ;  to  help  each  child  to  consider  the  claims 
of  Jesus  for  personal  commitment  to  Him  and  by 
accepting  Him  to  enter  into  a  saving  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Therefore,  the  first  object  of  the  work  of  the 
January-to-Easter  period  is  that  of  deepening  the 
thought  of  the  people  about  God,  Christ,  human  life, 
sin,  salvation  and  the  eternal  life,  and  this  Is  to  be 
accoaiplished  in  the  main  through  the  program  of 


66  PARISH  EVANGELISM 

preaching  and  with  the  young  people  through  the 
pastor's  training  class. 

The  second  object  of  the  January-to-Easter  period 
is  to  deepen  the  devotional  life  of  the  people,  to  en- 
courage them  to  participate  in  prayer  as  individuals, 
in  families,  in  neighbourhood  groups  and  as  a  con- 
gregation. Prayer  for  the  church  as  well  as  for  the 
individual  is  the  barometer  of  spiritual  life. 

The  third  object  to  be  accomplished  in  this  period 
is  that  members  of  the  congregation  may  engage  in 
personal  service  for  Christ.  To  be  able  to  do  this 
the  members  should  make  a  study  of  ways  in  which 
men  come  to  decision  about  fundamental  things  of 
life,  the  reason  why  men  of  many  generations  and 
of  many  ages  have  found  the  Christian  way  of  living 
the  ideal  life,  and  then  put  these  things  into  prac- 
tice through  a  program  of  personal  work  with  indi- 
viduals for  Qirist. 

In  these  three  lines  of  related  activity  by  the  pastor 
and  his  helpers  the  interest  of  the  people  will  be  in- 
creased and  many  will  be  led  to  a  higher  religious 
life  as  the  work  draws  to  a  happy  and  glorious  con- 
summation in  the  Easter  season. 

The  pastor  who  plans  his  work  for  the  January-to- 
Easter  period  should  consult  with  his  committee  from 
time  to  time  during  the  closing  weeks  of  the  year, 
that  the  program  may  be  initiated  in  early  January 
with  everything  in  its  favour.  Directly  after  the 
holidays,  if  not  during  some  lull  in  the  holiday  season, 
when  the  committee  can  come  together  and  discuss 
with  the  pastor  the  items  of  his  work  without  pres- 
sure for  time,  there  should  be  a  thoroughgoing  con- 


JANUARY  TO  EASTER  67 

ference  of  pastor  and  committee  upon  the  following 
items : 

1.  The  committee  should  be  united  in  prayer  for 
the  success  of  the  program.  Members  should  be  led 
to  definite  and  regular  prayer  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
may  be  present  in  power  and  that  all  that  is  done 
and  said  may  be  through  his  leadership.  Nothing  so 
cheers  a  pastor  as  to  know  that  his  advisers  are 
praying  with  him  and  that  all  are  praying  together 
that  individuals  in  the  parish  shall  be  brought  to 
know  Him  "  whom  to  know  aright  is  Life  Eternal." 

2.  The  committee  should  advise  as  to  the  setting 
of  a  definite  goal.  The  weight  of  testimony  is  that 
a  goal  gives  direction  to  and  centralizes  effort.  The 
goal  if  set  should  be  attainable.  By  running  over 
the  list  of  names  a  pastor  can  decide  this.  The  usual 
minimum  goal  is  about  ten  per  cent,  of  the  member- 
ship. If  a  goal  is  set  the  fact  should  not  be  made 
much  of  in  public.  There  is  no  question,  however, 
but  that  the  committee  should  set  before  itself  the 
ideal  of  presenting  the  Gospel  to  every  non-confess- 
ing individual  in  the  parish  for  which  the  church  is 
spiritually  responsible. 

3.  The  opportunities  for  lay  service.  In  connec- 
tion with  this,  attention  is  called  to  what  is  said  on 
the  following  pages  concerning  the  invitation  or  per- 
sonal workers'  committee. 

4.  The  status  of  the  Sunday-school.  Definite 
plans  should  be  made  for  reaching  every  boy  and  girl 
twelve  years  of  age  or  older. 

5.  The  planning  of  Prayer  Circles. 

6.  The  pastor  may  well  consult  the  committee^  as 
to  his  sermons.  He  should  have  clearly  in  mind 
some  definite  themes  which  he  expects  to  develop 
from  week  to  week,  and  share  with  the  committee  in 


68  PARISH  EVANGELISM 

advance  the  joy  of  forecasting  the  program  of  preach- 
ing. If  he  will  do  this  he  will  add  greatly  to  the 
inspiration  of  his  committee  and  will  strengthen  in 
many  ways  his  spiritual  leadership.  The  committee 
^vill  quite  likely  give  timely  advice  as  to  the  way  in 
which  the  themes  should  be  developed  to  bring  defi- 
nite results.  The  pastor  who  shares  these  things 
with  his  advisers  will  see  many  a  layman  develop 
into  an  enthusiastic  worker  whose  companionship 
will  be  a  source  of  strength. 


VII 

PROGRAM  OF  PREACHING 

HOWEVER  much  the  preacher  may  wander 
afield  during  the  year,  in  his  pulpit  pre- 
sentation during  the  Lenten  period  there 
must  be  a  definite  point  to  his  work  and  a  real  pro- 
gram in  the  ministry  of  the  pulpit. 

The  preaching  of  the  January-to-Easter  period 
should  have  at  least  two  characteristics :  First,  there 
should  be  a  definite  evangelistic  message  in  every  pul- 
pit presentation;  and  second,  the  thought  presented 
through  the  sermons  should  be  progressive  and 
climactic.  That  is,  that  the  sermons  taken  together 
should  leave  some  definite  convictions  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  that  they  may  feel  renewed  in  their 
thinking,  not  in  a  generalized,  hazy  way,  but  that 
certain  fundamental  principles  of  religion  shall  stand 
forth  with  clearness  in  their  thought. 

The  Evangelistic  Appeal 
The  vital  part  of  the  ministry  of  the  pulpit  is  the 
spiritual  message  that  engenders  and  enriches  the 
life  of  the  church.  If  this  quality  be  lacking  in  the 
sermons  the  work  of  the  church  will  be  mechanical, 
temporary  and  disappointing,  though  the  immediate 

69 


70  PAEISH  EVAKGELISM 

results  may  not  show  that  there  is  no  root  because 
of  the  lack  of  depth. 

As  to  what  characterizes  the  evangelistic  note  there 
will  be  of  course  a  variety  of  expressions,  just  as 
there  will  be  a  variety  of  definitions  of  the  word 
*'  evangelism."  Ask  any  group  of  ministers  or 
church  workers  to  define  evangelism  in  brief  and  you 
are  likely  to  have  as  many  definitions  as  there  are 
persons  present.  This  does  not  arise  from  the  fact 
that  they  do  not  know  what  evangelism  is,  but  rather 
from  the  fact  that  evangelism  is  a  word  of  such 
variety  and  richness  of  content  that  it  has  in  reality 
all  the  meaning  which  the  various  definitions  give  it. 
The  word  is  in  reality  like  a  diamond  and  these  defi- 
nitions are  but  the  flashes  from  the  different  faces 
of  the  stone.  I  suppose  the  simplest  definition  for 
evangelism  is,  "  that  type  of  religious  work  through 
which  men  are  brought  in  touch  with  God  through 
Christ."  In  practice  the  definition  should  be  broad 
enough  to  include  all  those  processes  and  methods 
by  which,  or  through  which,  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
church  is  renewed.  This  conception  of  evangelism 
is  large  enough  to  include  various  forms,  educa- 
tional, pastoral,  missionary,  or  any  other  type  of  re- 
ligious work  through  which,  and  by  which,  the  spiri- 
tual life  of  men  is  deepened  and  enlarged.  The 
evangelistic  note  which  the  ministry  of  the  pulpit 
must  sound  during  the  Lenten  period  should  result  in 
bringing  conviction  to  the  hearts  of  men  in  revealing 
to  them  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  in 
leading  them  to  accept  this  grace  for  themselves  by 
entering  into  the  life  of  the  Spirit  through  Christ 


PROGEAM  OF  PREACHING  71 

Jesus  our  Lord.  Every  pastor  will  have  his  own 
way  of  doing  this,  but  woven  through  the  woof  and 
fabric  of  the  sermon  presentation  must  be  a  spiritual 
appeal,  wooing  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men. 

In  forecasting  the  program  of  preaching  and  pre- 
paring the  outlines  for  the  sermons  the  pastor  must 
remember  the  contrasting  phases  of  human  life,  the 
knowing,  the  doing,  the  being.  As  Browning  has  it, 
"What  knows,  What  does.  What  is.'*  Preaching 
must  do  more  than  appeal  to  the  intellect.  This  ap- 
plies no  whit  less  to  teaching  than  to  preaching,  for 
if  the  process  of  teaching  simply  leaves  the  pupil 
with  a  mind  full  of  facts  and  has  not  led  that  pupil 
to  commit  himself  to  the  truth  which  lies  back  of 
the  facts,  and  gives  them  their  reality,  in  such  fashion 
as  to  enlarge  his  living  and  control  his  actions,  then 
teaching  has  not  resulted  in  character  which  is  the 
goal  of  all  true  education. 

The  right  relationship  of  the  intellect  to  the  center 
of  being  commonly  called  the  heart  has  been  a  sub- 
ject of  study  through  the  years  and  I  am  not  at  all 
sure  from  which  the  world  has  suffered  more,  from 
emotionalism  without  intelligent  background  or  from 
an  intelligence  chilled  by  dying  emotions.  We  have 
all  known  preachers  in  the  days  gone  by  who  have 
acquired  their  power  over  the  people  through  an 
emotional  appeal.  While  it  lasted  this  influence  was 
very  great  but  it  was  temporary.  Their  failure  was 
because  there  was  no  depth  of  intellectual  soil  and 
the  new  resolutions  and  aspirations  soon  withered 
away.  It  must  be  held  in  mind,  however,  that  the 
great  guiding  realities  of  life  are  apprehended  far 


72  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

more  through  the  heart  than  through  the  intellect. 
Through  the  ages  perhaps  few  of  the  martyrs  could 
give  a  logical  exposition  of  the  truth  for  which  they 
were  willing  to  die  but  they  went  to  their  death  sing- 
ing hymns  of  joy  because  of  whom  they  loved.  It 
is  the  thing  we  love  for  which  we  are  willing  to 
make  the  great  sacrifices  of  life,  for  the  truths  which 
we  apprehend  by  the  mysterious  channel  of  love  are 
held  in  a  radically  different  way  from  the  way  in 
which  we  hold  the  truths  apprehended  by  intellectual 
processes.  As  Pompilia  says  in  Browning's  **  Ring 
and  the  Book,"  "  I  cannot  see  the  way  but  I  put 
forth  my  foot  and  by  foot-feel  I  test;  bear  weight 
and  pass  on." 

The  pastor  in  seeking  to  reach  the  springs  of  hu- 
man life  cannot  neglect  the  appeal  to  the  heart,  for 
however  plausibly  he  may  present  Christianity,  how- 
ever convincingly  he  may  arrange  his  syllogisms,  un- 
less his  appeal  reaches  beyond  the  intellect  to  the 
heart  and  there  is  in  addition  to  an  Intellectual  assent 
to  the  truth  of  the  proposition  the  commitment  of 
one's  life,  preaching  will  fall  far  short  of  accomplish- 
ing what  it  should.  This  is  but  saying  again  what 
former  Vice-President  Marshall  said  in  his  farewell 
to  the  Senate,  "  But  underneath  the  man  of  brain 
there  is  another  man,  the  man  of  heart,  and  I  have 
found  that  the  heart  is  wiser  than  the  intellect  and 
works  with  swifter  hands  and  surer  feet  towards 
wiser  conclusions."  Or  as  Solomon  put  it,  "  Keep 
thy  heart  with  all  diligence;  for  out  of  it  are  the 
issues  of  life,"  "  For  as  he  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so 
is  he." 


PROGEAM  OF  PREACHING  73 

This  is  said  with  no  thought  of  minimizing  the 
contribution  of  modern  scholarship  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  world.  Any  man  who  assumes  to  be  a  teacher 
or  leader  of  men  in  any  field,  especially  in  the  field 
of  religion,  who  is  negligent  in  securing  the  best  pos- 
sible education  or  who  fails  to  keep  himself  as  near 
abreast  current  thought  as  possible,  is  unworthy  of 
his  position.  But  let  us  feel  that  however  true  we 
keep  our  preaching  to  the  teachings  of  history  and 
philosophy,  to  the  sciences  and  to  experience  in  other 
departments  of  life,  and  however  thoroughly  we  have 
convinced  our  people  of  the  truth  of  these  things,  we 
have  not  yet  gone  far  enough.  Some  one  has  well 
said  that  the  world  to-day  has  more  truth  than  it 
knows  what  to  do  with.  What  the  world  needs 
along  with  its  truth  is  also  a  determination  to  live  the 
truth  which  the  mind  accepts. 

How  then  is  our  preaching  to  have  this  prime 
requisite,  that  is  the  power  of  reaching  the  springs 
of  being — the  heart  ?  The  answer  is  simple ;  this  is 
what  the  minister  contributes  by  his  own  life,  by 
what  he  is  himself.  It  is  this  quality  which  makes  a 
pulpit  presentation  a  sermon  rather  than  an  essay. 
The  essay  is  knowledge,  the  sermon  is  knowledge 
plus  whatever  the  pastor  has  in  his  own  life  and  his 
own  spiritual  experience  that  he  can  contribute  to  the 
lives  of  others.  Hence  it  goes  without  saying  that  if 
preaching  is  to  have  its  life-giving  quality,  the 
preacher  himself  must  be  a  truly  spiritual  man ;  one 
who  has  entered  into  the  holy  of  holies,  whose  spirit 
is  so  knit  up  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  so  sensitive  to 
His  leadings  that  it  comes  to  be,  not  the  preacher 


74  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

who  speaks  but  God  who  speaks  through  him.  The 
truth  of  this  can  come  only  through  experience  and 
with  every  individual  it  is  a  new  experience.  It 
costs  a  man  little  in  spiritual  effort  to  stand  before  a 
group  of  people  and  to  read  an  essay,  except  the 
painstaking  research  for  truth  and  the  skilful  fash- 
ioning of  the  facts  together,  giving  them  proper  form 
and  voicing  them  to  the  people.  The  true  preacher 
goes  before  his  people  with  his  truths  clearly  out- 
lined, skilfully  fashioned  together  and  becomingly 
clothed  and  he  uses  this  all,  not  as  an  end  in  itself, 
but  that  in  and  through  it  his  own  soul  may  lift  the 
souls  of  his  people  into  the  presence  of  God.  No 
wonder  a  preacher's  soul  bums  within  him  until  he 
delivers  his  message  and  after  his  message  is  de- 
livered, his  spirit  is  exhausted. 

This  leads  to  one  further  observation  which  ap- 
plies not  only  to  evangelistic  preaching  but  to  all 
effective  preaching,  and  that  is  that  the  message 
both  in  spoken  word  and  in  soul  outreach  must  be  a 
ministry  of  one  individual  to  another  individual.  A 
generalized,  impersonal  pulpit  presentation  will  not 
avail.  In  the  old  days  it  is  said  that  medical  doctors, 
though  they  might  have  many  bottles  on  their  shelves, 
used  one  of  four  remedies.  If  we  go  back  beyond 
the  primitive  doctor  to  the  days  of  witchcraft,  we 
find  that  the  witch  doctor  used  only  one  method  for 
all  diseases.  Modem  medicine  depends,  for  its  won- 
derful success  in  curing  bodily  ills,  upon  the  careful 
diagnosis  of  the  individual  ailment  and  skilful  pre- 
scription for  that  one  disease.  The  efficient  pastor, 
however  large  his  congregation  or  extended  his  parish. 


PEOGEAM  OF  PEEACHING  75 

must  realize  that  his  own  success  will  be  measured 
by  the  same  standards ;  that  is,  by  his  ability  to  min- 
ister to  the  individual  needs  of  his  people. 

The  story  is  told  of  ex-President  Roosevelt  that 
in  one  of  his  earliest  meetings  he  was  faced  by  a 
vast  company  and  after  speaking  a  short  time  he  felt 
the  attention  of  the  people  wandering  away  from  him. 
He  saw  sitting  in  front  of  him  an  elderly  gentleman 
;with  a  G.  A.  R.  bronze  button  in  the  lapel  of  his 
coat.  As  soon  as  he  saw  him  Mr.  Roosevelt  cried 
out,  "You,  my  brother  in  the  fifth  row  with  that 
bronze  button  in  your  lapel,  you  know  that  what  I 
am  saying  is  true,  how,  when,  etc."  Immediately 
Mr.  Roosevelt  had  the  attention  of  the  vast  throng 
and  he  kept  it  as  long  as  he  addressed  his  remarks 
either  to  that  one  individual  or  to  some  other  indi- 
vidual, either  real  or  imaginary,  whom  he  was  try- 
ing to  reach.  Afterwards  Mr.  Roosevelt  said  that 
he  owed  whatever  success  he  had  as  a  public  speaker 
to  his  constant  effort  to  speak  to  the  individual,  how- 
ever large  his  audience  was.  The  truth  of  this  ob- 
servation lies  in  the  fact  that  our  problems  are  largely 
individual  problems.  You  can  take  any  one,  any- 
where, however  prosperous  and  contented  he  may  be, 
and  if  you  will  sit  down  with  him  quietly  and  go  over 
his  experience  with  life,  winning  his  confidence  and 
esteem,  you  v/ill  come  finally  to  the  discovery  that  in 
that  person's  heart  is  a  fear,  a  sorrow,  a  burden, 
something  which  weighs  down  upon  his  life.  Now  it 
is  this  individual  burden  which  Christ  came  to  bear 
and  it  is  this  burden  that  He  asks  be  given  to  Him. 
So  the  pastor  in  presenting  his  appeal  to  the  hearts  of 


76  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

men  must  so  present  it  that  the  individual  will  feel 
that  it  is  his  fear,  his  sorrow,  his  burden  that  Christ 
is  able  and  anxious  to  minister  unto. 

The  pastor  who  seeks  to  lead  his  people  in  a  pro- 
gram of  parish  evangeUsm  should  make  every  effort 
that  the  preaching  of  the  pre-Lenten  period  in  par- 
ticular have  these  qualities:  that  his  presentation  of 
the  truth  may  reach  beyond  an  intellectual  assent  and 
touch  the  heart,  the  center  of  life,  and  there  bring 
about  personal  commitment ;  and  also  that  the  preach- 
ing have  an  individual  appeal,  that  is  that  the  soul 
of  the  preacher  speak  directly  to  the  soul  of  the  in- 
dividual and  lead  that  individual  to  accept  the  love 
and  life  of  Jesus  as  the  guiding  influence  of  his  own 
life. 

In  general  the  character  of  the  preaching  must  be 
such  that  all  will  understand  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
with  its  boundless  implications  for  individual  right- 
eousness and  social  justice.  The  great  themes  of  re- 
ligious thinking  should  be  presented  with  freshness 
and  vigour :  How  we  may  know  God ;  What  He  does 
for  us;  The  Reality  of  Good  and  Evil;  What  the 
Bible  teaches  about  Jesus  Christ ;  Redemption  through 
Him,  and  how  He  helps  those  who  follow  Him; 
How  Communion  with  God  is  effected — its  purpose 
and  hindrances ;  Human  Life  with  its  upward  reach 
towards  God,  and  its  outward  reach  towards  man- 
kind ;  the  many  ways  in  which  modern  paganism  and 
materialism  bind  men's  thoughts ;  Jesus'  teachings  of 
the  idealism  of  life — that  it  is  possible  to  mingle  in 
busy  affairs  of  the  day  and  yet  to  live  one's  secret 
life  in  the  calm  assurance  of  fellowship  with  the 


PEOGEAM  OP  PEEACHING  77 

Holy  Spirit  which  broods  over  the  lives  of  men  with 
boundless  love  and  sympathy. 

In  the  development  of  these  themes,  the  pastor 
should  make  clear  the  responsibility  which  rests  upon 
each  individual  to  win  others  to  the  Christian  life, 
and  also  the  great  duty  which  rests  upon  the  church 
to  train  its  young  people  and  to  lead  them  into  the 
fulness  of  the  Christian  experience.  He  will  find 
many  opportunities  to  explain  how  the  evangelistic 
program  seeks  to  make  effectual  this  primary  aim  of 
the  church. 

In  all  this  the  advice  of  his  committee  will  be  of 
the  greatest  value.  There  are  certain  functions 
which  rest  upon  the  pastor  alone,  others  which  be- 
long to  the  people  and  others  still  which  rest  on  pastor 
and  people.  It  is  his  duty  to  proclaim  the  truth  of 
the  Gospel,  but  to  make  that  proclamation  effective  he 
needs  the  help  of  his  people.  So  many  pastors  feel 
their  work  is  done  when  the  Gospel  is  preached.  To 
a  large  extent  people  do  believe  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel— the  failure  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  truth  is  not 
presented  with  individual  application,  and  the  com- 
mitment of  men  to  the  truth  is  not  secured.  To 
make  his  ministry  personal  the  committee  can  advise 
the  pastor  in  many  effective  ways  if  he  will  help  them 
to  understand  his  ideals  and  give  them  an  opportunity 
to  counsel  with  him. 


VIII 
THE  PASTOR'S  TRAINING  CLASS 

THE  Pastor's  Training  Class  is  usually  a 
feature  of  the  Lenten  period  of  church 
work.  Many  pastors  use  the  six  weeks  of 
Lent,  others  conduct  the  class  from  January  to  Eas- 
ter, while  others  have  their  class  after  Easter.  This 
feature  of  church  work  is  of  the  greatest  value  and 
is  growing  rapidly  in  favour  of  pastor  and  people. 

The  Pastor's  Training  Class  is  the  class  conducted 
by  the  pastor  for  children  to  study  the  fundamentals 
of  Christian  belief.  The  course  seeks  to  present  the 
Christian  way  of  living  as  the  best  way  and  that 
Christian  character  is  developed  by  living  according 
to  Christian  ideals.  It  is  expected,  of  course,  that  as 
a  result  the  boys  and  girls  will  be  led  to  make  a  de- 
cision for  Christ,  and  that  having  committed  them- 
selves to  Him  and  to  the  leadership  of  His  Spirit, 
they  will  seek  membership  in  the  church. 

The  Purpose  of  the  Pastor's  Class 
When  boys  and  girls  reach  the  age  of  twelve  to 
fifteen  years  they  begin  to  think  more  seriously  about 
life ;  they  begin  to  understand  that  some  people  live 
good  and  useful  lives  and  that  others  do  not.  Chil- 
dren at  this  period  usually  respond  readily  to  a  re- 
ligious and  ethical  appeal.     They  are  peculiarly  sus- 

78 


THE  PASTOE'S  TEAINING  CLASS         79 

ceptible  to  influence,  good  or  bad,  and  the  funda- 
mental decisions  made  during  these  years  generally 
continue  their  effect  through  life.  The  child  is  de- 
veloping his  own  distinct  personality,  with  his  likes 
and  dislikes,  with  his  loves  and  hates;  and  there  is 
forming  in  the  child  consciousness,  vaguely  perhaps, 
the  ambition  to  be  and  to  do  something  worth  while. 
With  these  thoughts  in  mind,  pastors  in  many 
churches  and  of  many  denominations  have  been  for 
years  using  the  Pastor's  Instruction  Class  or  Pastor's 
Training  Class  as  one  means  of  reaching  boys  and 
girls  at  this  age  and  of  enlisting  them  in  the  Chris- 
tian life.  It  is  the  universal  testimony  of  pastors 
who  have  used  this  method  that  efforts  put  forth  in 
this  way  bring  about  permanent  results  in  larger  pro- 
portion than  efforts  put  forth  in  other  lines  of  church 
work. 

The  purpose  of  the  Pastor's  Training  Class  is,  in 
brief,  simply  this:  To  bring  together  the  boys  and 
girls  for  a  series  of  friendly,  personal  conferences 
with  the  pastor,  that  he  may  explain  in  a  reasonable 
way  what  the  Christian  life  is,  how  it  is  entered  and 
how  it  is  lived ;  that  the  Christian  way  is  normal  and 
natural;  that  Christian  character  results  from  living 
one's  daily  Hfe  in  the  Christian  way,  and  that  the 
boys  and  the  girls  who  yield  to  the  spirit  of  Christ 
and  to  His  leadership  will  find  themselves  being 
strengthened  in  purpose,  purified  in  thought  and  de- 
veloped in  Christian  character. 

Enrollment 
The  method  of  organizing  the  class,  used  by  many 


go  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

pastors,  is  this :  Some  time  before  the  opening  of  the 
Lenten  season  the  pastor,  with  the  help  of  his  Sunday- 
school  teachers  and  his  church  visitors,  makes  a  very 
careful  survey  of  the  names  of  those  connected  with 
the  various  church  organizations,  including  the  Sun- 
day-school and  young  people's  organizations,  to  ascer- 
tain what  children  over  twelve  years  of  age  in  the 
parish  are  not  communicants  of  the  church.  The 
hearty  cooperation  of  the  Sunday-school  teachers  is 
absolutely  essential  to  the  success  of  the  class. 

Most  pastors  make  special  calls  at  the  homes  of 
the  girls  and  boys  whom  they  wish  to  enroll  in  the 
class,  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  the  plans  to  the 
parents.  These  visits  in  the  homes  present  a  num- 
ber of  problems  and  give  the  pastor  a  fine  opportunity 
of  clarifying  his  own  mind  as  well  as  that  of  the 
parents  as  to  the  reasons  for  the  existence  of  the 
class.  He  is  called  upon  to  explain  to  the  parents 
his  attitude  towards  the  Christian  life,  also  wherein 
the  child  will  be  benefited  by  being  a  Qiristian  and 
a  member  of  the  church,  and  why  it  is  that  the  church 
is  of  practical  helpfulness  in  everyday  life. 

Of  course,  where  the  church  has  maintained  pas- 
tor's classes  in  the  past,  the  organization  and  develop- 
ment will  be  familiar  to  most  of  the  people  in  the 
parish.  It  is  the  universal  testimony  of  ministers 
who  have  conducted  pastor's  classes  that  the  finest 
advertisement  the  class  receives  is  the  enthusiastic 
support  of  those  who  in  previous  years  have  enjoyed 
its  delightful  fellowship.  But  even  in  communities 
where  the  method  is  familiar  there  will  be  new  fam- 
ilies to  interest  and  new  problems  arising  which  wiU 


THE  PASTOE'S  TEAINING  CLASS         81 

give  the  minister  the  best  possible  opportunity  for  pre- 
senting the  church,  its  work,  its  teachings,  and  its 
worship  to  the  parents  of  his  constituency.  Pastors 
everywhere  affirm  that  most  parents  are  quickly 
drawn  to  the  minister  who  shows  a  real  interest  in 
their  children,  and  if  he  will  manifest  a  reasonable 
and  sensible  attitude,  and  make  it  clear  that  he  has 
the  interest  and  welfare  of  the  children  at  heart,  he 
will  find  that  he  has  the  cooperation  of  the  majority 
of  parents. 

It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  there  will  be  found 
parents  who  will  not  endorse  the  program,  nor  desire 
that  their  children  attend,  for  fear  that  the  chil- 
dren may  be  subjected  to  influences  stronger  than 
they  can  withstand  and  be  forced  into  decisions  re- 
garding the  Christian  life  which  they  are  not  ready 
to  make.  In  such  cases  pastors  are  very  careful  to 
impress  upon  parents  the  fact  that  even  if  their  chil- 
dren should  join  the  class,  no  undue  pressure  will 
be  put  upon  them  to  join  the  church,  and  that  while 
it  is  hoped  that  the  course  on  instruction,  and  par- 
ticularly the  personal  association  with  the  pastor  will 
lead  to  a  decision  for  the  Christian  life,  yet  children 
who  do  not  so  decide  will  be  just  as  welcome  and 
will  be  treated  with  the  same  consideration  as  those 
who  do  decide  to  unite  with  the  church  and  that 
there  will  be  no  shadow  resting  upon  those  who  do 
not  so  decide,  but  all  will  have  the  pastor's  friendship 
in  like  measure.  If  the  natural  leaders  among  the 
boys  and  girls  are  interested,  and  are  asked  to  assist 
in  enrolling  the  other  children  of  the  community,  the 
problem  may  be  simplified. 


82  PABISH  EVANGELISM 

Time  and  Place  of  Meeting 
When  the  children  are  enrolled  many  pastors 
divide  them  into  two  classes,  one  for  the  boys  and 
one  for  the  girls.  Some  pastors  use  Saturday  morn- 
ing for  the  boys  and  the  afternoon  for  the  girls. 
Some  pastors  use  the  regular  Sunday-school  hours; 
others  use  Sunday  afternoon,  Wednesday  night  or 
different  periods  of  the  week.  The  classes  generally 
continue  for  six,  eight  or  twelve  weeks,  ending 
usually  with  Easter,  when  those  who  have  decided  to 
unite  with  the  church  are  publicly  received  into  mem- 
bership. In  passing  it  may  be  well  to  mention  that 
a  number  of  churches  conduct  a  special  reception 
service  for  the  young  people  coming  into  the  church 
through  the  pastor's  class.  The  church,  by  having 
a  special  service  for  the  reception  of  young  people 
who  unite  through  the  Pastor's  Training  Class,  gives 
a  real  evidence  of  its  interest  in  the  religious  life  of 
the  children,  and  by  means  of  such  a  service  registers 
the  event  in  the  minds  of  the  people  in  a  way  which 
is  not  easily  forgotten. 

The  Method  of  Instruction 
Most  ministers  use  a  very  simple  method  of  in- 
struction in  conducting  the  pastor's  class,  that  is,  a 
friendly,  frank,  open  discussion  led  by  the  pastor. 
Some  pastors  have  found  the  use  of  little  manuals 
very  helpful.  Samples  of  these  may  be  had  from 
the  denominational  headquarters  of  the  various  com- 
munions. The  class  exists  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
the  children  a  clear  understanding  of  some  of  the 
fundamentals  of  the  Christian  belief  and  of  stimu- 


THE  PASTOR'S  TRAINING  CLASS         83 

lating  the  desire  for  Christian  Hving.  It  is  common 
testimony  that  the  conversational  method  directed 
by  the  pastor  in  which  each  boy  and  girl  is  urged  to 
express  frankly  and  fully  his  or  her  own  questions 
and  ideas,  will  bring  better  results  than  any  formal 
course  of  instruction.  At  the  same  time,  the  pas- 
tor's leadership  must  not  be  aimless  and  he  must  have 
in  his  own  mind  a  definite  goal.  A  successful  method 
used  by  many  a  pastor  is  to  secure  copies  of  all 
available  leaflets  giving  courses  of  instruction,  and 
then  to  make  up  his  own  outline  from  various  sug- 
gestions. 

Home  Study 

In  addition  to  the  discussions  in  the  class,  pastors 
more  and  more  are  finding  it  advisable  to  outline 
some  form  of  home  study  for  the  boys  and  girls. 
Some  of  the  items  that  have  been  found  useful  for 
such  study  are,  memorizing  the  names  of  the  books 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament ;  the  reading  of  the 
book  of  Ruth  or  Esther;  the  book  of  Jonah;  certain 
chapters  in  the  book  of  Mark  or  one  of  Paul's  letters. 

The  idea  of  this  home  work  is  to  give  the  child  a 
little  elementary  knowledge  of  what  is  in  the  Bible, 
how  to  use  it  and  where  to  find  some  of  the  most 
interesting  stories.  This  object,  of  course,  can  be 
gained  more  readily  if  the  child  is  directed  to  read 
in  the  Bible  assigned  portions  rather  than  to  have 
these  sections  printed  in  a  small  manual. 

A  number  of  pastors  have  found  that  the  use  of  a 
manual  covering  certain  topics  of  the  question  and 
answer  method  helpful.    While  the  children  may  not 


84  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

be  required  to  memorize  the  question  and  answer, 
they  should  be  familiar  with  the  subject  matter  both 
of  question  and  answer.  Pastors  using  this  plan 
find  that  if  given  a  brief  and  simple  catechism  the 
children  will  naturally  think  out  many  things  for 
themselves. 

A  Suggested  Course  of  Study 
From  the  various  suggestions  and  experiences  of 
other  ministers  as  found  in  these  manuals  and  leaf- 
lets, a  pastor  can  develop  his  own  course  of  instruc- 
tion. The  course  ought  to  cover  in  general  the  fol- 
lowing headings : 

First.  What  the  Bible  teaches  us  about  God ;  what 
He  does  for  us ;  the  reality  of  good  and  evil. 

Second.  What  the  Bible  teaches  about  Jesus 
Christ ;  Redemption  through  Him  and  how  He  helps 
those  who  follow  Him. 

Third.  How  communion  with  God  is  effected ;  its 
purpose,  hindrances,  and  forms  of  great  prayers. 

Fourth.  The  Universal  Church  of  Christ:  Its  be- 
ginnings in  the  days  of  the  Fathers  and  development 
through  the  ages ;  the  meanings  of  its  sacraments  and 
ceremonies,  communion  and  baptism. 

Fifth.  The  history  and  main  teachings  of  the  de- 
nomination. The  reasons  why  many  men  and  women 
in  different  ages  have  found  it  helpful  in  its  spirit, 
simple  and  natural  in  its  organizations. 

Sixth.  The  organization  of  the  local  church,  its 
officers  and  their  duties,  its  members  and  their  privi- 
leges. What  it  means  to  confess  Christ  and  unite 
with  His  Church,  this  to  be  followed  with  a  personal 
conference  with  each  child. 


THE  PASTOE'S  TRAINING  CLASS         86 

Any  outline  of  instruction  can  only  be  suggestive 
and  it  is  understood  that  many  subjects  of  prime 
interest  are  included  by  implication  and  will  come  up 
for  discussion  in  the  class  periods. 

Securing  Decision 
As  the  class  draws  to  a  close  and  the  pastor  has 
established  a  very  cordial  and  intimate  relationship 
with  the  children  so  that  they  are  frank  with  him 
and  he  understands  them,  he  is  prepared  to  present 
to  each  child  in  a  personal  conference  the  question 
of  the  child's  own  personal  acceptance  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Christian  faith,  and  to  ascertain  if  the 
child  is  willing  to  undertake  to  live  according  to  his 
best  understanding  of  the  Christian  life  and  be 
guided  by  the  advice  and  counsel  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Here  is  where  the  pastor  comes  into  one 
of  the  richest  experiences  of  his  pastoral  life,  for 
having  gained  the  confidence,  good- will  and  trust  of 
the  child,  he  now  has  the  privilege  of  leading  that 
trusting  mind  to  a  conscious  acceptance  of  Christ; 
and  while  this  acceptance  is  based  on  but  elementary 
knowledge  of  Christian  doctrine,  it  can  be  so  rich  in 
the  love  of  Christ  that  the  decision  thus  made  will 
be  the  turning  point  in  the  child's  life,  and  all  his 
after  years  will  be  directed  and  influenced  by  this 
high  choice.  When  without  excitement  and  without 
undue  pressure  the  decision  is  made,  the  pastor  will 
consecrate  forthwith  in  his  own  prayer  and  in  his 
own  way  the  trusting  confidence  and  new-born  faith, 
thus  teaching  dependence  upon  Christ  Himself.  If 
the  child  is  not  ready  to  decide  this  final  matter,  or 


86  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

hesitates  for  any  reason,  the  pastor  should  respect 
this  state  of  mind  and  be  wilHng  that  taking  the  fur- 
ther step  should  be  deferred  until  the  child  is  abso- 
lutely sure  in  his  own  mind  that  that  is  what  he  wants 
to  do.  Many  pastors  find  that  such  children  fre- 
quently join  the  class  again  the  next  year,  at  the  close 
of  which  they  unite  with  the  church. 

Having  secured,  therefore,  such  confessions  as  are 
willingly  made,  the  pastor  will  prepare  to  receive 
these  children  into  the  church.  As  has  been  men- 
tioned, some  pastors  have  found  that  a  special  recog- 
nition service  for  the  boys  and  girls  coming  from  the 
pastor's  class  is  one  of  the  most  helpful  services  of 
the  whole  church  year  and  makes  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  whole  community.  When  the  children  are 
formally  received  into  church  membership,  at  a  later 
date  pastors  generally  find  it  their  pleasure  to  present 
each  child  with  a  neat  certificate  of  membership,  or 
a  Testament  or  Bible,  as  a  reminder  of  this  signifi- 
cant event. 

The  General  Results  in  the  Parish 
The  results  of  the  Pastor's  Training  Class  are  out 
of  all  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  class  or  the  length 
of  the  period  of  instruction,  for  it  does  two  very 
definite  things:  It  draws  the  parents  of  the  commu- 
nity to  the  church  in  a  new  way,  for  they  feel  that  the 
pastor  is  in  partnership  with  them  on  a  subject  that 
lies  very  near  their  hearts — the  welfare  of  their  chil- 
dren. Many  a  wide-awake  pastor  has  found  that 
when  a  child  enters  the  instruction  class  and  begins 
to  take  a  real  interest,  it  is  quite  an  easy  matter  to 


THE  PASTOE'S  TEAINING  CLASS         87 

interest  the  mother  and  father  if  the  parents  are  not 
already  church  members,  and  that  they,  too,  will  come 
with  the  child  into  the  church.  One  pastor  reported 
that  among  the  accessions  one  Easter  in  his  church 
there  were  twelve  fathers  and  fourteen  mothers  who 
joined  the  church  with  the  children  as  a  direct  result 
of  that  year's  Pastor's  Training  Class,  and  the  class 
numbered  only  thirty. 

The  second  very  definite  result  is  that  it  defines 
the  purpose  of  the  church  and  particularly  the  Sun- 
day-school in  the  minds  of  the  church  workers  to  win 
results  for  Christ  and  they  begin  to  see  the  value  of 
a  definite  program  of  such  church  work  directed  to 
certain  attainable  ends. 


IX 

PERSONAL  WORK 

For  Pastor  and  People 

THE  phrase  "  personal  work "  means  indi- 
vidual work  for  individuals.  It  is  simply 
making  practical  application  of  the  teach- 
ings of  the  church  through  personal  influence.  In 
personal  work,  either  by  pastor  or  people,  there  is  a 
conscious  effort  to  present  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and 
the  appeal  to  Christian  living  so  as  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  individual  and  show  that  individual  what  the 
Christian  faith  will  mean  to  him. 

Personal  work  should  be  continuous  but  because 
of  the  favourable  atmosphere  during  the  pre-Easter 
period  it  is  usually  found  more  fruitful  at  this  period 
of  the  year  than  at  any  other.  Without  such  special 
effort  the  best  results  of  the  year's  work  of  the 
church  by  pastor  and  people  cannot  be  harvested. 

The  effectiveness  of  the  personal  service  of  the 
people  depends  quite  largely  upon  what  the  preacher 
has  been  able  to  accomplish  through  his  pulpit  min- 
istry. Helpful  results  for  personal  work  should 
follow  the  ministry  of  the  pulpit.  In  the  first  place 
the  pastor  in  his  pulpit  will  have  schooled  the  workers 
in  the  knowledge  and  spirit  which  they  are  to  carry 
into  their  service. 

88 


PEESONAL  WOEK  89 

The  minister  who  plans  an  effective  program  of 
personal  work  should  seek  so  to  influence  occasional 
attendants  at  the  worship  of  the  church  and  at  other 
services  that  they  may  be  ready  for  the  personal 
appeal.  He  will  make  the  religious  life  attractive 
both  by  what  he  says  and  by  the  way  he  lives.  The 
religious  life  will  be  presented  as  the  best  life — that 
is,  life  coming  to  its  best ;  religion  as  not  simply  some- 
thing put  on  at  pleasure  but  as  a  consistent  and  con- 
scientious expression  of  the  inner  life  of  faith  and 
love.  In  addition  to  these  more  personal  applica- 
tions of  the  Gospel  to  human  life,  he  will  inform  his 
people  of  the  great  foundation  principles  of  the 
Christian  belief.  By  bringing  these  convictions 
clearly  to  the  consciousness  of  his  people  the  pastor 
will  open  the  way  for  those  who  are  to  work  under 
his  direction  in  helping  to  secure  the  decision  of 
people  to  seek  God  until  they  find  Him. 

Not  only  will  the  pastor  be  preparing  the  way 
with  individuals  but  he  will  be  speaking  many  help- 
ful words  to  the  members  of  his  congregation  who 
will  join  in  the  program  of  personal  work.  He  will 
give  these  workers  a  fresh  understanding  of  re- 
ligion in  the  common  life,  a  new  vision  of  God  and 
of  man's  need  for  Him,  that  they  may  be  able  to 
present  a  true  picture  of  the  life  which  Christ  Jesus 
demanded.  The  pastor  who  desires  to  lead  his  peo- 
ple in  a  program  of  personal  work  will  find  that  his 
more  effective  sermons  are  those  which  deal  with 
the  fundamentals  of  Christian  belief  and  the  homely 
virtues  of  daily  living.  Upon  the  effectiveness  of  the 
pulpit  presentation  depends  in  large  measure  the  ef- 


90  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

ficiency  of  his  personal  workers  as  they  work  with 
him  to  win  men  to  Christ. 

Who  Are  to  he  Personal  Workers? 

In  planning  the  program  of  personal  work  the  mem- 
bership or  evangelistic  committee  will  be  of  grow- 
ing helpfulness.  In  some  churches  this  committee  is 
composed  of  the  personal  workers'  band,  but  fre- 
quently it  is  found  advisable  for  the  evangelistic 
committee  or  the  pastor  to  set  up  a  special  com- 
mittee or  to  enroll  those  who  are  willing  to  give  per- 
sonal service  in  a  personal  workers'  group.  This 
particular  group  may  be  known  as  the  Personal 
Workers'  Committee,  Life  Service  Band,  or  as  the 
Invitation  Committee,  a  name  growing  in  favour  in 
the  churches  as  indicating  the  function  of  the  group. 

Perhaps  the  most  effective  method  of  setting  up 
the  group  is  for  the  pastor  to  select  certain  of  his 
men  and  women  and  young  people  on  whom  he  feels 
that  he  can  count  for  sei*vice,  those  who  have  influ- 
ence in  the  community  as  a  result  of  their  way  of 
living  and  tact  and  kindly  attitude  towards  others, 
and  to  invite  these  individuals  either  to  his  own  home 
or  to  the  church  parlours  for  a  conference.  When 
all  are  together  the  pastor  should  present  his  ideals 
of  individual  work,  just  what  he  expects  them  to  do, 
what  to  say  to  their  friends,  and  acquaintances,  how 
to  go  about  the  work  and  what  results  to  expect  from 
those  they  seek  to  interview.  He  then  should  secure 
the  consent  of  as  many  as  will  agree  to  make  a  study 
of  methods  of  personal  work  and  to  devote  some 
time  to  this  service  for  a  limited  period.     It  will  be 


PERSONAL  WORK  91 

found  easier  as  a  rule  to  enroll  workers  for  a  period 
of  from  six  weeks  to  three  months  than  if  the  term 
be  left  indefinite. 

The  active  invitation  committee,  if  not  a  part  of 
the  general  committee,  should  be  kept  informed  and 
should  advise  with  the  pastor  as  to  the  personnel  as 
well  as  the  method  of  work.  It  is  the  common  testi- 
mony of  pastors  that  the  work  of  the  personal 
workers'  group  is  hindered  if  there  is  much  publicity 
concerning  the  appointment  and  work  of  the  com- 
mittee. It  is  not  necessary  for  many  of  the  people 
of  the  church  outside  the  group  directly  concerned  to 
know  who  are  the  ones  that  are  pledging  themselves 
to  this  definite  type  of  service.  The  personal  workers* 
band  or  group,  or  invitation  committee,  or  by  what- 
ever name  known,  should  be  composed  of  those  men 
and  women  of  standing  in  the  community  and  in  the 
church  who  by  gifts  and  graces  will  be  able  to  do 
satisfactory  work  and  who  are  willing  to  give  a  por- 
tion of  their  time  for  a  limited  period  to  this  service 
under  the  direction  of  the  pastor. 

The  members  should  be  selected  with  great  care, 
for  their  duty  is  the  securing  of  the  decision  of 
others  to  enlist  in  the  Christian  life,  and  to  enter  the 
service  and  worship  of  the  Christian  Church.  A 
brief  study  of  the  art  of  salesmanship  will  convince 
any  one  that  the  ability  to  secure  the  decision  of  an- 
other willingly  and  gladly  to  do  that  which  he  had 
not  planned,  is  the  foundation  of  success  in  business. 
Such  ability  is  no  less  necessary  for  success  in  the 
fine  art  of  winning  others  to  the  discipleship  of  Jesus 
Christ.    The  committee  therefore  should  be  composed 


92  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

of  those  who  have  in  addition  to  a  deep  religious  life 
the  tact,  the  determination  and  the  abihty  to  win. 

Sub-Committees 
It  is  helpful  to  organize  sub- committees  which 
limit  their  activities  to  certain  groups.  For  example, 
a  men's  invitation  committee  to  work  with  the  men 
of  the  community,  and  a  woman's  committee  to  work 
with  the  women.  As  has  been  well  said,  men  are 
learning  how  to  win  other  men  "  of  their  own  size," 
and  it  is  heartening  to  know  that  some  of  our  strong- 
est bankers,  merchants  and  lawyers  are  giving  their 
time  to  win  to  the  discipleship  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  other  bankers,  merchants  and  lawyers. 

What  the  Workers  Are  to  Do 
Those  who  are  to  give  themselves  to  personal  work 
are  to  do  two  things — first,  study ;  second,  serve. 

Much  of  the  effectiveness  of  their  service  will  de- 
pend upon  their  equipment  and  training  and  they 
should  be  willing  to  begin  with  the  more  elementary 
phases  of  the  work  and  as  they  gain  in  experience 
extend  their  activities.  It  should  be  said  in  passing 
that  except  in  rare  cases  individuals  working  in  the 
local  congregation  and  in  behalf  of  the  local  church 
should  work  in  the  closest  cooperation  with  the  pas- 
tor and  in  all  they  seek  to  do  should  be  constantly  on 
their  guard  to  give  the  impression  that  they  are  speak- 
ing for  the  pastor  and  under  his  instruction.  In  the 
vast  majority  of  cases  the  putting  of  the  final  ques- 
tions and  the  securing  of  decisions  should  be  left  to 
the  pastor.     As  one  pastor  put  it,  "  I  use  my  faithful 


PERSONAL  WORK  93 

workers  continually,  but  when  a  soul  is  born  into 
the  Kingdom  I  want  to  be  there."  There  are  obvious 
reasons  why  this  final  task  should  be  left  to  the 
pastor.  In  exceptional  cases  definite  decisions  may 
be  secured  by  men  and  women  of  the  laity  but  they 
should  be  reported  immediately  to  the  pastor,  who 
should  lose  no  time  in  calling  upon  those  making  the 
decisions,  that  he  may  strengthen  them  in  the  position 
they  have  taken. 

While  the  final  phases  of  personal  work  are  best 
left  to  the  pastor  himself,  this  does  not  in  any  way 
lessen  the  dignity  nor  the  importance  of  the  work 
that  is  to  be  done  by  the  individuals.  The  members 
of  the  personal  workers'  band  should  begin  perhaps 
first  by  securing  attendance  at  the  services  of  the 
church,  Sunday-school  and  other  organizations.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  with  rare  exception  an 
individual  who  has  not  attended  the  church  or  any 
of  its  organizations  before  uniting  with  that  church, 
will  be  rather  difficult  to  secure  as  a  regular  attend- 
ant after  he  has  united  with  the  church.  So  the  first 
duty  for  personal  workers  Is  to  build  new  people  into 
the  congregation  and  church  organizations. 

The  second  task  which  naturally  will  fall  to  the 
personal  workers  is  that  they  help  to  make  people 
who  occasionally  attend  the  church  feel  at  home  and 
helped  by  the  participation  in  the  worship  of  the 
congregation.  To  the  average  man  it  is  a  rather 
momentous  decision  when  he  really  decides  to  at- 
tend the  service  of  a  certain  church.  This  is  an  act 
which  ought  to  be  looked  upon  by  churches  as  of 
great  significance,  for  it  is  usually  the  surface  evi- 


94  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

dence  of  a  sincere  desire  for  a  change  in  living.  I 
am  speaking  here  of  course  of  those  who  formerly 
have  not  been  members  of  the  church,  and  not  par- 
ticularly of  those  newcomers  to  the  community  who 
have  been  members  of  the  church  in  other  years  and 
now  are  considering  the  transfer  of  their  membership 
from  one  church  to  another,  but  rather  of  those  who 
are  to  be  won  for  the  first  time  to  Christian  worship 
and  service.  So  when,  through  invitation  or  inner 
promptings,  such  a  person  goes  to  church  he  is  mak- 
ing a  very  significant  advance  which,  if  met  in  the 
right  way,  will  be  of  the  greatest  importance  in  the 
life  of  that  individual. 

When  people  go  to  church  they  go  for  the  most 
part  that  they  may  receive  courage  and  strength 
through  worship  and  the  fellowship  of  the  congrega- 
tion. In  days  gone  by  this  was  accomplished  through 
doctrinal  sermons  and  through  class  or  group  meet- 
ings where,  in  a  rather  formal  fashion,  public  in- 
quiry was  made  by  the  class  leader  into  the  needs  of 
one's  soul  and  testimony  was  given  by  worshippers 
as  to  their  own  spiritual  experience.  To-day  this 
encouragement  comes  through  the  sermon  and  serv- 
ice of  worship  and  in  other  rather  informal  ways, 
but  which  may  be  no  less  effective.  Courage  comes 
through  the  friendly  faces,  the  hand-clasp,  the  word 
of  greeting,  in  short  through  the  recognition  on  the 
part  of  others  of  one's  desire  to  be  and  do  the  right 
thing.  This  is  to  say,  our  encouragement  and  fel- 
lowship are  expressed  in  perhaps  the  more  subtle 
ways  of  social  usage  and  the  church  should  feel  as 
much  a  responsibility  in  this  day  for  expressing  Us 


PERSONAL  WOEK  96 

message  of  cheer  through  the  means  which  are  used 
to-day  as  did  the  church  in  the  olden  time  for  its 
class  meeting  and  other  forms  of  grace. 

The  next  step  for  those  who  are  doing  personal 
work  is  to  seek  a  few  individuals  and  to  present  to 
them  the  Christian  way  of  living.  Here  the  personal 
worker  will  find  his  influence  depending  upon  two 
things  at  least.  First  of  all  his  own  personal  re- 
ligious experience.  When  he  sits  down  to  talk  with 
another  about  religion  he  will  find  that  his  theories 
do  not  have  much  influence.  That  which  will  give 
his  words  validity,  and  give  him  an  influence  far 
beyond  his  words,  is  his  own  religious  experience. 
If  he  has  come  to  know  God  in  Christ  as  a  personal 
Father,  a  God  of  love,  of  forgiveness  and  of  mercy 
as  Jesus  has  revealed  Him,  and  if  the  worker  has 
entered  into  a  deepening  acquaintance  so  that  he 
speaks  literally  with  God,  and  has  learned  how  to 
apprehend  God  speaking  to  him,  he  will  have  the 
first  and  great  requirement  for  personal  work. 

In  the  second  place  he  will  find  his  efficiency  de- 
termined somewhat  by  his  knowledge  of  men.  He 
will  be  greatly  helped  if  he  understands  how  people 
come  to  a  decision  concerning  the  more  vital  things 
of  life — the  elements  which  the  average  person  con- 
siders when  reaching  a  conclusion — and  above  all 
else  how  to  lead  another  to  try  for  himself  the  Chris- 
tian way  of  knowing  God.  He  will  be  greatly  helped 
if  he  will  study  some  good  text-book  on  personal 
work  and  of  methods  used  by  others.  These  will  be 
valuable  as  testimony,  but  he  should  be  on  his  guard 
against  a  too  literal  use  of  another's  plan.     His  own 


96  PARISH  EVANGELISM 

method  as  he  develops  it  through  his  own  experi- 
ence will  be  better.  He  should  aim  at  a  normal  and 
natural  form  of  religious  work. 

If  a  Christian  man  who  really  gets  something  worth 
while  out  of  his  religion  will  apply  the  common  sense 
and  practical  methods  of  carrying  to  another  what  he 
himself  has  found  of  value,  he  will  succeed.  There  is 
no  magic  or  sleight-of-hand  that  will  win  permanent 
results.  But  it  does  require  a  full  and  sympa- 
thetic understanding  of  another's  view-point  and  the 
meeting  of  him  on  his  level  and  then  with  tact,  with 
love,  with  patience,  leading  him  to  the  acceptance  of 
Christ's  offer  of  the  gift  of  the  Spirit.  The  con- 
version of  a  soul  is  a  mystery  of  mysteries.  It  is  the 
work  of  the  Spirit,  and  every  worker  should  be  on 
his  guard  not  to  try  to  force  a  mechanical  or  pre- 
mature decision. 

Finding  Christ 
As  has  been  well  said,  there  are  three  ways  to 
find  Christ — the  way  of  love,  of  faith  and  of  obedi- 
ence. Some  enter  by  one  avenue;  some  by  another. 
Some  see  the  beauty  of  Christ  in  picture,  or  in  story, 
and  loving  Him,  acquire  faith  and  follow  Him  by 
obedience.  Others  learn  of  Him  by  faith  through 
belief  in  the  testimony  of  others  and  then  come  to 
love  Him  and  to  obey  Him.  And  still  others  come 
to  Him  through  obedience,  learn  His  law  and  obey 
Him,  and  come  in  time  to  the  fulness  of  faith  and 
the  richness  of  love.  Our  part  in  leading  another  to 
Christ  is  that  of  introduction.  We  are  to  testify  to 
what  the  Christian  life  is  to  us,  and  explain  as  far 


PEESONAL  WOEK  97 

as  we  understand  the  reality  of  the  spiritual  life, 
until  the  seeker  desires  to  know  Christ  and  to  follow 
Him.     ''  He  that  seeketh,  findeth." 

The  Committee  at  Work 

The  pastor  who  has  been  following  through  the 
year  a  regular  program  will  find  a  number  of  the 
things  he  has  been  doing  of  the  greatest  helpfulness 
to  his  plan  for  personal  work.  For  example,  from 
his  surveys  or  parish  visitation  he  will  have  the  names 
of  a  large  number  of  men  and  women  who  ought  to 
be  reached  and  will  also  have  enough  information 
about  them  to  give  to  his  helpers  a  good  many  sug- 
gestions as  to  how  to  proceed  in  individual  cases. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  when  it  comes  to  win- 
ning men  and  women  to  the  discipleship  of  Christ 
the  same  rule  holds  good  as  in  other  relations  of  life ; 
that  is,  that  decisions  are  made  one  by  one,  and  people 
are  won  as  individuals,  not  in  mass. 

So  the  pastor  leading  his  committee  will  want  to 
consider  his  people  as  individuals,  and  help  his 
workers  to  grasp  his  own  ideals.  It  is  often  thought 
advisable  that  the  worker  and  the  pastor  alone  know 
for  whom  the  member  of  the  committee  is  working. 
Discussion  of  names  and  conditions  and  personalities 
should  not  be  had  in  the  large  group,  although  it  is 
helpful  for  the  pastor  to  conduct  from  time  to  time 
general  meetings  o£  all  those  who  are  assisting  him 
in  personal  work,  for  discussions  of  principles  and 
methods  of  winning  others. 


X 

DEEPENING  THE  PRAYER  LIFE  OF  THE 
PEOPLE 

IT  is  evident  to  all  religious  workers  that  their 
effectiveness  depends  on  their  prayer  life. 
Prayer  is  the  life  of  religion.  Without  vital 
prayer  all  methods  of  religious  work  are  but  tempo- 
rary experiments.  One  of  the  crying  needs  of  church 
work  to-day  is  for  more  prayer.  This  chapter  deals 
not  so  much  with  the  need  of  prayer  and  the  sub- 
stance of  prayer  as  with  methods  that  have  been  used 
by  pastors  to  develop  among  their  people  the  practice 
of  prayer. 

Why  Do  Mot  Christians  Pray  More  in  Public  f 
To  a  praying  person  prayer  seems  a  natural  form 
of  expression,  and  speaking  to  God  a  normal  part 
of  his  daily  life.  Whether  the  prayer  be  offered  in 
private  or  In  public,  to  one  accustomed  to  prayer  the 
forms  and  words  are  usually  easily  at  hand  which 
will  serve  as  an  adequate  vehicle  for  the  thought  the 
one  who  prays  desires  to  express.  It  is  sometimes 
difficult  for  some  Christians  to  understand  why  other 
Christians,  who  live  consistent  lives,  hesitate  to  offer 
public  prayer.  Let  a  pastor  try  this  simple  experi- 
ment: let  him  Imagine  himself  standing  before  his 
congregation  and  suddenly  called  upon  to  offer  a 

98 


DEEPENING  THE  PEAYER  LIFE         99 

public  prayer,  using  the  language  of  everyday  life — 
that  is,  not  using  the  classical  words  "  thou,"  "  thee," 
"  wilt "  and  such  terms  which  to  one  who  prays  fre- 
quently form  the  natural  prayer  vocabulary — and  he 
will  discover  that  in  thinking  of  forms  his  thought 
of  substance  is  very  much  handicapped. 

Now  to  the  average  man  or  woman  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  everyday  English  there  may  be  a  very 
great  hesitance  to  pray  publicly  because  of  a  feeling 
of  inability  to  use  the  accepted  forms  of  expression. 
Those  who  hesitate  ,in  public  prayer  may  not  realize 
what  it  is  that  embarrasses  them  when  they  think  of 
offering  a  public  prayer,  but  if  a  pastor  will  analyze 
the  situation  he  will  find  that  his  people,  those  whom 
he  naturally  expects  would  lead  in  public  prayer  and 
who  do  not  pray  publicly,  do  communicate  with  God 
through  silent  prayer,  prayers  which  would  be  of 
great  helpfulness  to  others  but  which  the  man  or 
woman  hesitates  to  express,  not  only  from  a  natural 
timidity  that  one  unaccustomed  to  hearing  his  own 
voice  in  public  will  have,  but  also  from  a  feeling  of 
unfamiliarity  with  the  accepted  language  of  prayer. 

No  doubt  Jesus  faced  this  same  situation  in  His 
day  when  He  gave  Himself  to  the  task  of  teaching 
His  followers  how  to  pray.  You  will  notice  that  in 
His  instructions  to  them,  He  first  gave  them  His 
ideals  of  the  substance  of  prayer,  the  things  for 
which  people  should  pray  to  God.  He  taught  them 
the  futility  of  long  and  ornate  prayers  as  were  used 
by  religious  leaders  of  that  day,  and  encouraged  His 
followers  to  use  rather  the  simple  thoughts  of  every- 
day life  and  with  sincere  voice  to  utter  the  aspira- 


100  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

tions  of  the  soul  for  communication  with  God. 
When  He  had  taught  them  these  things  He  gave 
them  a  prayer  model  which  through  all  the  years 
has  been  used  by  Christians  as  the  ideal  form  of 
prayer.  When  the  pastor  seeks  to  lead  his  people  in 
the  deepening  of  the  prayer  life  he  will  do  well  to 
follow  the  example  of  Christ. 

What  is  Prayer? 
Perhaps  one  of  the  most  inclusive  definitions  of 
prayer  is  found  in  the  old  hymn,  "  Prayer  is  the 
soul's  sincere  desire/' 

Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire, 

Uttered  or  unexpressed, 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 

That  trembles  in  the  breast. 

Prayer  is  the  burden  of  a  sigh, 

The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye 

When  none  but  God  is  near. 

Prayer  is  the  simplest  form  of  speech 

That  infant  lips  can  try; 
Prayer  the  sublimest  strains  that  reach 

The  Majesty  on  high. 

Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 

The  Christian's  native  air, 
His  watchword  at  the  gates  of  death; 

He  enters  heaven  with  prayer. 

O  Thou,  by  whom  we  come  to  God, 
The  Life,  the  Truth,  the  Way, 

The  path  of  prayer  Thyself  hast  trod; 
I/)rd,  teach  us  how  to  pray. 


DEEPENING  THE  PRAYER  LIFE       101 

You  will  notice  in  this  hymn  that  there  are  many- 
definitions  of  prayer,  all  of  them  true.  One  pastor, 
who  has  been  very  effective  as  a  religious  teacher, 
gave  a  series  of  Sunday  evening  meditations  wath 
this  hymn  as  a  basis,  taking  up  in  successive  evenings 
the  various  conceptions  which  these  serve  to  illus- 
trate— that  sincere  prayer  is  the  conscious  outreach 
of  the  human  soul  to  God.  A  pastor  who  gives  his 
people  the  true  meaning  of  prayer  will  find  that  he 
has  done  much  to  make  their  religious  life  natural, 
sweet  and  effective. 

I  think  it  goes  without  saying  that  the  great  ma- 
jority of  people  believe  in  prayer.  Any  one  who  has 
been  present  at  a  time  of  shipwreck  or  accident, 
serious  sickness  or  any  other  crisis  of  life,  will  recall 
how  the  thoughts  of  all,  though  hardened  men  and 
abandoned  women  might  be  present,  were  turned  in- 
stinctively to  prayer.  How  natural  it  Is  at  such  a 
time  for  a  stricken  soul  or  a  bewildered  person  to 
voice  a  prayer  to  God.  If  we  had  the  power  to  look 
into  the  secret  life  of  the  men  and  women  who 
throng  the  busy  streets,  the  stores  and  factories,  we 
might  be  greatly  surprised  to  find  how  frequently 
these  people,  many  of  whom  never  see  the  inside  of 
a  church,  lift  their  thoughts  to  God.  Though  their 
thoughts  of  the  personality  of  God  may  be  very  hazy 
and  indistinct  and  the  prayers  they  offer  may  be 
timid  and  half-hearted,  nevertheless  many  a  human 
soul  reaches  towards  God  who  broods  over  the  lives 
of  men  in  matchless  love  and  sympathy. 

Those  who  have  gone  through  periods  of  Indiffer- 
ence or  who  have  been  reared  in  ignorance  of  God 


102  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

and  of  Christian  teachings  and  practice  and  who  have 
later  come  into  Christian  life,  all  unite  in  testimony 
that  these  observations  are  true  to  their  own  experi- 
ence. Let  the  pastor  or  religious  worker  w^ho  doubts 
the  truth  of  these  statements  sit  down  with  some 
non-churchgoing  friend  and  talk  with  that  person 
sympathetically  and  honestly  and  see  if  it  is  not  true 
that  this  one  feels  in  his  own  heart  and  life  some 
union  with  God  through  his  own  secret,  timid  prayers. 

When  we  turn  our  thoughts  to  the  topic  "  How  to 
Pray,"  we  must  be  willing  to  recognize  that  people 
with  different  individualities  and  different  require- 
ments will  pray  in  different  ways.  When  Jesus 
taught  His  prayer  to  His  disciples  we  are  not  told  that 
He  called  upon  them  to  assume  any  position  of  rever- 
ence, or  that  He  closed  His  eyes  or  asked  them  to 
close  theirs,  and  yet  we  know  His  prayer  was  sincere 
and  true.  At  the  same  time  we  should  remember 
that  Jesus  did  have  certain  places  to  which  He  re- 
tired for  prayer — as  in  the  wilderness  or  in  the 
garden.  Again  we  know  that  when  He  stood  before 
the  hungry  multitude  He  lifted  His  eyes  to  heaven 
and  prayed  looking  upward.  I  suppose  we  all  feel 
that  the  position  one  takes  in  prayer  has  very  little 
to  commend  it  other  than  if  one  is  accustomed  either 
to  kneeling,  standing  or  bowing  the  head  that  he  can 
in  this  way  more  easily  free  his  mind  from  outward 
circumstances  and  concentrate  his  thoughts  on  God. 

One  present-day  writer  whose  books  on  prayer 
have  been  of  great  help  to  many  has  said  that  for 
himself  his  most  helpful  place  for  prayer  is  usually 
the  crowded  subway  or  the  railway  train,  and  that 


DEEPENING  THE  PRAYER  LIFE       103 

as  he  travels  he  is  accustomed  to  give  himself  to  long 
periods  of  most  helpful  prayer.  And  many  other 
leaders  of  religious  life  testify  that  they  are  helped 
in  phrasing  their  thought  by  continuing  some  natural 
habit,  either  of  posture,  place  or  time.  We  should 
help  our  people  to  see  that  these  considerations  are 
entirely  subordinate.  I  am  not  at  all  sure  but  that 
if  the  time  comes  when  we  break  away  from  the 
classical  language  of  old  English  and  use  rather  the 
language  of  everyday  life  we  shall  also  contribute  to 
the  ease  with  which  people  will  learn  the  art  of 
prayer.  The  fact  that  time,  position  and  language 
are  entirely  subordinate  should  help  us  to  emphasize 
this  one  outstanding  fact — that  prayer  should  be 
the  natural  and  sincere  expression  of  one's  inmost 
thought  to  God,  in  a  natural  and  personal  fashion. 
We  should  do  all  we  can  to  cultivate  the  attitude  of 
the  people  towards  God  and  towards  prayer  which 
will  make  such  an  expression  of  their  deeper  thoughts, 
their  longings,  aspirations,  fears,  hopes  and  loves,  an 
essential  part  of  their  daily  life. 

Every  pastor  should  seek  in  all  ways  to  impress 
upon  his  people  the  absolute  necessity  of  regular 
prayer  as  a  means  of  grace ;  that  prayer  is  the  great- 
est force  for  grace  and  power  In  the  Christian  life; 
that  every  man  should  be  his  own  priest  and  that 
there  is  no  other  way  to  grow  in  grace  or  to  live  a 
consistent  Christian  life  than  through  the  power  of 
prayer.  Let  his  people  accept  such  forms  and  times 
and  methods  as  by  experience  best  satisfy  their  spiri- 
tual needs.  The  experience  of  the  world  is  to  the 
effect  that  there  are  no  powerful  Christians  except 


104  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

praying  Christians,  and  that  any  Christian  who  re- 
mains steadfast  in  prayer  will  have  power  with  God 
and  man  far  beyond  his  greatest  hope. 

To  lead  his  people  into  an  active  prayer  life  the 
pastor  will  do  well  to  follow  Christ's  example  and 
give  his  people  certain  prayer  models,  some  of  the 
great  historic  prayers  of  the  Church  which  should 
be  memorized  with  the  same  fidelity  with  which  we 
teach  our  children  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Perhaps  the 
pastor  himself  will  care  to  formulate  a  few  prayers 
and  teach  these  to  his  people;  or  he  may  have  some  of 
them  write  out  a  prayer  or  two  for  themselves  and 
memorize  them.  Many  times  hesitating  men  and 
women  can  be  led  into  the  habit  of  public  prayer  by 
first  having  brief  prayers  to  memorize  and  to  use  on 
appropriate  occasions.  It  will  not  be  long  before  a 
man  so  led  will  find  himself  improvising  and  adding 
to  his  memorized  prayer,  until  little  by  little  he  will 
be  able  to  stand  alone  and  trust  himself  to  express 
his  prayer  thoughts  in  appropriate  fashion  in  public. 

As  the  pastor  leads  his  people  in  thinking  of 
prayer  the  inevitable  question  must  be  answered — In 
addition  to  the  value  to  the  one  who  prays,  of  what 
practical  value  is  prayer  anyway?  To  this  question 
there  can  be  but  one  answer  and  that  is  the  answer 
of  experience.  What  has  been  your  experience  or 
the  experience  of  others  in  testing  the  efficiency  of 
prayer?  In  a  recent  meeting  with  pastors  this  sub- 
ject was  under  discussion  and  two  pastors  gave  in- 
teresting bits  of  testimony.  One  was  to  this  effect: 
That  he  was  satisfied  that  while  we  know  something 
of  the  power  of  prayer,  we  know  as  little  how  to 


DSEPBlSriKG  THE  PEAYEK  LIFE       105 

make  that  great  power  available  in  the  lives  of  people 
as  did  the  ancients  who  knew  that  electricity  was  in 
the  universe,  but  were  entirely  ignorant  of  its  prac- 
tical uses.  He  followed  this  observation  with  a  story 
about  the  w^ay  in  which  he  had  found  prayer  effective. 
He  had  been  called  recently  to  the  sick-bed  of  a  little 
child ;  the  doctor  had  given  up  hope ;  the  father  and 
mother  and  pastor  had  one  hope — the  hope  of  prayer. 
They  continued  in  fervent  prayer  together  all  night 
long ;  the  next  morning  when  the  doctor  came  to  the 
bedside  of  the  child  he  turned  to  the  parents  with  the 
words,  "  Some  miracle  has  happened  here ;  this  child 
is  getting  well." 

This  man  was  followed  by  another  pastor  who 
testified  that  he  too  had  been  called  by  parents  of  a 
child  who  was  seriously  ill.  The  mother  was  pros- 
trate but  the  father  with  clinched  teeth  and  gripped 
fists  said  to  the  pastor,  "  We  cannot  let  this  child  die. 
I  will  go  crazy  if  she  does.  If  there  is  anything  in 
prayer,  now  let  us  pray."  This  father  and  pastor 
likewise  continued  during  the  night  in  earnest  prayer. 
Towards  morning  the  nurse  called  the  father  to  come 
to  the  bedside  of  the  child  as  she  felt  the  child's  soul 
was  going  out  to  God.  The  father  stood  on  one  side 
of  the  bed  and  the  pastor  on  the  other,  each  one  hold- 
ing a  hand  of  the  little  child,  and  her  soul  did  go  out 
to  God.  As  soon  as  the  last  pulse  of  life  had  ceased 
the  father  turned  to  the  pastor  with  all  the  hardness 
and  bitterness  gone  out  of  his  face,  saying,  "  I  am 
reconciled,  for  I  feel  that  there  has  gone  from  my 
hand  directly  to  the  hand  of  God  the  dearest  mes- 
senger that  ever  was  sent  from  earth  to  heaven." 


106  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

From  that  day  to  this  both  that  father  and  mother 
have  been  greatly  blessed  by  the  peace  and  faith 
which  came  to  them  through  the  experience  of  life 
and  death,  and  life  in  the  Spirit. 

The  minister  who  looks  through  his  personal  ac- 
quaintance and  keeps  in  mind  his  own  experience  in 
religious  work  will  find  many  interesting  pieces  of 
testimony  which  will  do  much  to  strengthen  his  peo- 
ple to  have  faith  in  prayer,  for  Tennyson's  words 
are  true — "  More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer  than 
this  world  dreams  of." 

"  The  Fellowship  of  Prayer  " 
During  recent  years  many  churches  have  been 
helped  in  their  evangelistic  work  by  the  use  of  the 
Lenten  prayer  booklet,  *'  The  Fellowship  of  Prayer." 
It  is  the  purpose  of  this  booklet  to  assist  pastors  to 
organize  and  to  direct  the  prayer  life  of  the  parish 
that  all  the  features  of  the  work  of  the  church  will 
be  undergirded  with  spiritual  power.  The  prayer 
calendar  provides  a  brief  outline  for  study,  medita- 
tion and  prayer  by  suggesting  the  use  of  passages 
of  Scripture,  a  hymn  and  a  meditation  dealing  with 
some  phase  of  the  Christian  life.  If  the  "  Fellowship 
of  Prayer"  is  not  used  some  other  prayer  booklet 
will  be  found  most  helpful.  Such  a  prayer  booklet 
is  an  aid  to  individuals  as  a  program  to  private  devo- 
tions and  as  a  guide  in  establishing  and  maintaining 
the  regular  habit  of  private  prayer. 

"  The  Fellowship  of  Prayer  "  is  helpful  for  family 
worship.  A  pastor  can  be  of  much  help  to  his  people 
by  having  available  such  a  booklet  to  put  into  the 


DEEPENING  THE  PRAYEK  LIFE       107 

families  where  family  prayer  has  long  been  neglected, 
as  the  prayer  booklet  offers  a  practical  program  for 
family  worship. 

The  booklet  may  also  be  used  for  the  regular 
prayer  meeting  as  well  as  group  prayer  meetings 
wherever  these  are  held.  The  organization  of  a  num- 
ber of  group,  neighbourhood  or  cottage  prayer  meet- 
ings is  in  most  cases  a  helpful  thing.  It  is  not 
possible  of  course  to  organize  an  entire  community 
year  after  year  for  group  prayer  meetings,  but  each 
year  the  pastor  will  find  some  women  in  his  parish 
who  are  willing  to  open  their  homes  for  a  brief  hour 
of  neighbourhood  prayer  and  invite  to  these  meetings 
their  friends  of  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  Such 
a  prayer  circle  exerts  an  influence  out  of  all  propor- 
tion to  its  size  and  the  pastor  should  by  all  means 
establish  at  least  a  few  of  these  neighbourhood  cen- 
ters in  the  parish. 

And  lastly,  the  prayer  calendar  is  of  help  in  the 
regular  worship  of  the  church,  as  it  is  a  means  by 
which  the  pastor  by  using  the  general  themes  or  daily 
topics  in  the  prayer  meeting  and  Sunday  services  of 
the  church  may  lead  his  people  in  their  thought  and 
worship. 


XI 

HOLY  WEEK  AND  EASTER 

THE  pastor  who  follows  a  program  of  parish 
evangelism  will  find  that  the  work  of  the 
church  from  January  on  to  Easter  will  have 
usually  a  climacteric  effect,  for  as  one  interest  is  well 
organized  it  becomes  easier  to  organize  related  lines 
of  activities  and  each  strengthens  the  other.  For 
example,  the  program  of  preaching  will  develop  cer- 
tain lines  of  religious  thinking  which  will  assist  in 
the  formation  of  the  pastor's  training  class  and  the 
personal  workers'  group  and  will  tend  to  deepen  the 
prayer  life  of  the  church.  When  these  three  related 
lines  of  work  are  organized  they  likewise  will  be  of 
the  greatest  helpfulness  to  the  program  of  preaching. 
When  the  boys  and  girls  are  enrolled  in  the  pastor's 
training  class  it  will  be  natural  for  the  pastor  to  sug- 
gest, as  one  of  the  requirements  of  those  who  are 
admitted  to  the  class,  that  they  attend  the  regular 
morning  service  of  the  church  if  they  are  not  already 
attendants.  Their  presence  at  the  morning  service 
will  be  a  very  great  encouragement  to  the  pastor  and 
his  helpers.  The  pastor  will  be  thinking  of  ways  of 
reaching  these  young  people  through  the  ministry  of 
the  pulpit  which  will  help  him  in  developing  his  ser- 
mons along  practical  lines. 

As  the  personal  workers  become  active  they  will 
help  build  the  church  congregation  and  will  invite 
young  people  to  the  training  class.     As  all  join  to- 

io8 


HOLY  WEEK  AND  EASTER  109 

gether  in  service  there  will  be  a  deepening  interest  in 
prayer.  As  the  pastor  and  his  people  cooperate  in 
the  program  of  parish  evangelism  they  will  feel  in 
many  ways  the  strengthening  influence  of  united 
prayer.  Thus  it  will  surely  work  out  imder  usual 
circumstances  that  each  feature  of  church  work  will 
reinforce  the  others.  As  the  program  develops  the 
pastor  will  find  himself  and  his  church  growing  in 
interest,  in  spirituality  and  in  effective  service.  When 
Easter  draws  near  he  is  quite  likely  to  feel  the 
need  of  a  series  of  devotional  meetings  which  may 
crystallize  the  thinking  of  his  people  and  help  them 
come  to  new  decisions  and  reach  an  advanced 
position  in  spiritual  life.  Some  pastors  find  that 
they  need  more  than  a  week  and  use  the  two  weeks 
preceding  Easter  for  a  series  of  meetings.  More  and 
more  pastors  are  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
weeks  immediately  preceding  Easter  are  psychologic- 
ally favourable  to  devotional  or  evangelistic  meetings 
and  that  through  such  meetings  they  accomplish 
some  things  which  cannot  be  brought  about  through 
the  regular  Sunday  services  of  the  church. 

When  meetings  are  held  during  the  week  Immedi- 
ately preceding  Easter  (commonly  called  "  Holy 
Week  "),  the  life  of  Christ  furnishes  the  usual  theme. 
There  are  a  number  of  ways  in  which  to  use  the 
material  available.  Many  pastors  use  the  following 
plan:  during  the  evenings  of  the  week  they  read  the 
portion  of  the  Scriptures  which  relates  to  the  events 
of  the  corresponding  day  of  Christ's  last  week.  For 
some  days  the  record  Is  too  long  for  an  evening's 
reading  and  selections  have  to  be  made ;  for  one  day 


110  PARISH  EVANGELISM 

there  is  no  record  at  all  and  for  this  evening  some 
pastors  arrange  a  service  of  hymns  and  prayers  with 
a  very  brief  meditation  on  the  value  of  silence  and 
contemplation  in  religious  life. 

Other  pastors  present  brief  sermons,  the  texts 
usually  from  the  history  of  the  day.  Still  others,  to 
whom  the  Christian  year  does  not  particularly  appeal 
and  who  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the  evangelistic 
attitude  of  the  people,  present  devotional  or  evangel- 
istic themes.  But  whatever  may  be  the  plan,  there 
should  be  preceding  its  inauguration  a  thoroughgoing 
campaign  of  publicity.  Perhaps  at  no  other  time 
during  the  year  will  religious  publicity  bring  as  satis- 
factory results  as  when  devoted  to  pre-Easter  serv- 
ices. The  music  and  other  features  of  service  should 
be  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  Our  modern  hymn- 
books  offer  a  wealth  of  material  which  can  be  used 
to  great  advantage  by  the  pastor  who  plans  ahead  for 
the  participation  of  his  people  in  the  worship  of  the 
church. 

Through  such  a  series  of  meetings  the  pastor  will 
be  able  to  give  his  people  instruction  in  the  funda- 
mentals of  religious  living  and  will  be  able  to  do 
effective  evangelistic  work,  though  he  may  think  best 
not  to  advertise  the  meetings  as  evangelistic  but 
rather  as  devotional.  He  may  have  found  by  ex- 
perience that  a  meeting  advertised  as  evangelistic  is 
sometimes  under  a  handicap. 

Through  the  devotional  meetings  during  the  week 
preceding  Easter  he  will  be  able  to  draw  together 
the  various  lines  of  service  and  if  the  coordinated 
features,  the  pastor's  training  class,  personal  work. 


HOLY  WEEK  AND  EASTER  111 

definite  prayer,  have  been  carried  forward  in  a  sys- 
tematic, painstaking  way,  and  all  supported  by  a 
thoroughgoing  program  of  preaching,  the  services  of 
Holy  Week  will  bring  great  comfort  to  the  souls  of 
the  people  and  a  worthy  development  of  the  work  of 
the  church. 

The  custom  seems  to  be  growing  in  the  churches  of 
various  denominations  to  celebrate  the  communion  on 
Thursday  evening,  in  memory  of  Christ's  last  supper 
with  His  disciples,  and  also  to  observe  the  three- 
hour  period  on  Friday  afternoon  which  corresponds 
to  the  period  Christ  was  on  the  Cross.  A  number 
of  cities  are  taking  up  the  movement  to  make  the 
afternoon  of  Friday  of  the  week  preceding  Easter 
(frequently  called  "Good  Friday")  a  city- wide 
holiday  for  the  purpose  of  allowing  the  people  to 
attend  church  if  they  so  desire.  In  issuing  a 
proclamation  for  this  purpose  in  Indianapolis  the 
mayor  of  the  city  said  among  other  things,  "  The 
three  hours'  passion  that  our  Lord  suffered  on  Cal- 
vary that  all  men  from  then  until  the  end  of  time 
might  find  eternal  life,  is  the  most  precious  heritage 
ever  left  to  the  human  race.  Every  Christian,  of  all 
creeds  and  all  denominations,  joins  in  reverence  and 
thanksgiving  for  this  supreme  event.  Let  us  lay 
aside  the  everyday  working  tools  of  life  during  the 
passion  hour  when  Jesus  suffered  on  the  Cross." 
Where  there  is  a  community  movement  of  this  sort 
pastors  either  singly  or  in  groups  will  have  little 
trouble  in  securing  a  congregation. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  features  of  the  work 
in  the  pre-Easter  season  which  can  well  receive  the 


112  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

attention  of  the  pastors  who  are  trymg  to  nurture 
the  religious  life  of  the  people.  For  example,  de- 
votional reading  should  be  encouraged  in  every  way 
and  pastors  can  be  of  very  great  help  to  the  people 
by  encouraging  them  to  purchase  the  best  books  of 
a  devotional  nature  and  to  read  them.  Some  of  the 
tried  plans  are  the  establishment  of  reading  circles 
where  a  small  group  of  people  read  the  same  book 
and  meet  weekly  for  discussion,  or  where  the  mem- 
bers of  a  group  read  a  separate  book  and  bring  to  a 
weekly  meeting  a  review  of  the  book  they  have  read. 
But  above  all  else  should  the  pastor  encourage  his  peo- 
ple to  read  the  Scriptures  diligently.  It  is  becoming 
more  and  more  a  custom  for  pastors  to  urge  their 
people  to  read  at  least  one  of  the  Gospels  during  the 
Lenten  period.  If  the  church  is  following  a  pro- 
gram of  devotions  similar  to  *'  The  Fellowship  of 
Prayer"  this  feature  of  work  will  be  of  very  great 
interest. 

Whether  the  pastor  provides  his  people  with  an 
opportunity  for  public  worship  during  the  days  pre- 
ceding Easter  or  not,  he  will  of  course  consider 
Easter  as  one  of  the  great  days  of  the  Christian  year. 
With  some  churches  the  day  is  made  memorable  by 
the  reception  of  new  members  and  the  celebration  of 
the  Lord's  wSupper.  In  other  churches  it  is  the  cus- 
tom of  the  pastor  to  utilize  the  occasion  for  a  special 
sermon,  as  he  will  have  an  opportunity  of  speaking 
to  people  who  are  not  usually  at  the  church  service. 

As  to  which  is  the  best  type  of  service  no  general 
statement  can  be  made.  The  pastor  and  his  com- 
mittee should  consider  the  question  carefully  and 


HOLY  WEEK  AND  EASTER  113 

follow  that  order  of  service  which  they  feel  will  be 
most  helpful  to  their  congregation.  It  will  be  neces- 
sary for  them  to  consider  the  custom  of  the  people. 
To  those  who  have  been  accustomed  through  long 
years  to  look  upon  Easter  as  a  communion  Sunday, 
the  lack  of  that  feature  of  the  service  will  be  very 
keenly  felt.  On  the  other  hand,  where  the  people 
look  forward  to  the  service  of  instruction  and  music, 
such  a  service  should  be  provided.  The  reception  of 
members  on  Easter  Sunday  can  be  a  very  effective 
service  and  need  not  occupy  much  time  nor  bring 
about  any  confusion.  Whereas  churches  which  de- 
sire to  devote  an  entire  morning  service  to  a  recep- 
tion of  members  and  a  discussion  of  the  meaning  of 
church  membership,  will  find  that  a  reception  service 
is  more  fittingly  observed  on  another  day. 

To  make  the  most  of  the  year's  work,  to  gather 
up  all  the  elements  of  spiritual  power  that  have  been 
stimulated  in  the  lives  of  the  people  and  to  unify  the 
church  as  a  spiritual  organization,  the  pastor  should 
by  all  means  bring  his  people  together  for  a  series 
of  devotional  services  during  Holy  Week  and  plan 
for  a  glorious  hour  of  worship  on  Easter  Sunday. 
The  reception  of  new  members  at  the  Easter  service, 
or  at  some  convenient  date  near  Easter,  brings  to  a 
completion  the  second  cycle  of  church  work — the 
January-to-Easter  period. 

The  ingathering  at  Easter  is  a  fitting  way  to  register 
the  results  of  the  work  of  the  church.  If  the  pro- 
gram of  parish  evangelism  has  been  carried  through 
in  effective  fashion,  the  Easter  service  will  record 
tfie  apiritual  results  of  the  season's  activities.     It  is 


lU  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

evident  that  the  items  of  the  program  which  have 
been  discussed  above  are  not  dependent  entirely  one 
upon  the  other,  and  there  may  be  some  churches 
where  one  feature  can  be  used,  and  in  other  churches, 
other  features.  In  addition  to  the  individual  worth 
of  these  various  phases  of  the  program,  they  are  of 
value  in  their  cumulative  effect.  By  carrying  through 
the  pre-Lenten  program,  the  pastor  will  have  accom- 
plished these  definite  results  : 

He  will  have  developed  in  the  thinking  of  his  peo- 
ple through  his  pre-Easter  sermons,  clearer  concep- 
tions of  God  and  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  for  the  in- 
dividual and  for  the  world. 

He  will  have  trained  and  given  exercise  to  a 
group  of  church  workers,  and  it  will  be  found  that 
these  workers  will  be  drawing  closer  to  Christ  as 
they  serve  with  the  pastor  day  by  day. 

He  will  have  gone  over  the  fundamentals  of  Chris- 
tian faith  with  the  boys  and  girls  of  his  parish  and 
will  have  secured  the  assent  of  many  to  unite  with 
the  church  and  to  enter  the  Christian  life. 

He  will  have  unified  his  people  in  prayer  and  will 
have  made  available  the  resources  of  spiritual  power 
in  the  life  of  the  church. 

And  finally,  through  his  Holy  Week  and  Easter 
services,  he  will  have  demonstrated  the  essential  one- 
ness of  the  Church  and  that  if  the  people  and  pastor 
are  united  in  a  great  program  and  are  willing  to  put 
into  it  the  best  of  their  lives,  they  will  experience  a 
deepening  of  their  love  for  Christ ;  they  will  be  made 
conscious  of  the  leadership  of  the  Spirit  and  they 
will  find  their  hearts  made  glad  by  the  seal  of  ap- 
proval that  will  be  placed  upon  the  worship  and 
service  of  the  church. 


XII 

AFTER  EASTER 

AFTER  Easter  there  is  usually  a  decided  let- 
down in  church  work.  This  should  be  on 
the  surface  only,  for  this  period  should  be 
devoted  to  what  military  leaders  call  "  consolidation 
of  gains."  The  term  simply  means  that  when  an 
army  has  advanced  and  established  outposts  by 
charge  or  other  manoeuvre  there  must  be  a  period  of 
surface  quiet  that  the  outposts  may  be  linked  up  with 
the  main  body  of  the  army,  channels  of  communica- 
tion established  and  one  outpost  connected  with  an- 
other. In  the  work  of  the  church  the  consolidation 
of  gains  is  no  less  important  than  in  military  life. 
The  permanency  of  the  work  done  during  the  Lenten 
period  depends  quite  largely  upon  the  effectiveness 
of  that  following  Easter.  If  the  new  members  who 
are  brought  into  the  church  and  others  who  have 
experienced  a  deepening  of  religious  life  are  not 
given  special  care  and  new  opportunities  for  service, 
much  of  the  influence  of  the  work  will  be  lost. 

Some  commercial  and  business  organizations  are 
putting  into  practice  one  of  the  very  effective  features 
of  the  work  of  the  early  church,  that  is  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  chain  method  of  interesting  new  mem- 
bers. Various  city  chambers  of  commerce,  for  in- 
stance, have  adopted  the  plan  that  when  a  new  mem- 

"5 


116  PARISH  EVANGELISM 

ber  has  been  secured  for  the  chamber  he  is  forth- 
with commissioned  to  secure  another  new  member. 
He  is  listed  as  a  *'  front-line  man  "  until  he  has  se- 
cured his  new  member,  when  he  becomes  a  member 
of  the  main  body  and  the  new  man  he  has  secured 
takes  his  place  in  the  front  line  until  he  likewise 
secures  his  new  member.  Many  will  recall  reading 
how  the  early  church  had  a  plan  like  this,  that  the 
young  convert  to  the  church  was  received  on  pro- 
bation until  he  brought  some  one  to  the  Christian 
commimity,  when  he  became  a  full  member  and  his 
friend  became  a  probationer  until  he  likewise  brought 
in  his  member.  One  of  the  best  forms  of  service  for 
new  members  is  for  them  to  seek  to  interest  others. 
Pastors  who  use  new  members  in  this  fashion  aim 
to  limit  their  activity  to  bringing  their  friends  into 
the  congregation,  rather  than  to  have  the  new  mem- 
bers engage  in  more  general  personal  work. 

The  reception  of  new  members  brings  to  the  pastor 
the  task  of  building  the  new  people  into  the  life  of 
the  church.  To  do  this  he  will  want  above  every- 
thing else  to  make  his  new  members  feel  at  home 
in  the  church,  and  in  its  services  find  some  worthy 
task  to  do.  Here  he  will  find  his  social  service,  mis- 
sionary education  and  religious  education  programs 
of  great  value.  To  put  the  right  person  at  work  at 
the  right  task  is  one  of  the  marks  of  true  leadership. 
If  a  pastor  can  do  this  easily  he  will  find  his  work 
greatly  simplified.  The  following  suggestions,  pre- 
pared by  Rev.  Charles  E.  Burton,  D.  D.,  have  been 
used  by  many  churches  with  good  results : 

A  certificate  of  church  membership  should  be  given 


AFTER  EASTER  117 

to  every  new  member.  With  it  there  should  go  simple 
instructions  for  the  personal  religious  life,  an  out- 
line of  the  opportunities  and  responsibilities  of 
church  membership  and  an  invitation  to  subscribe  to 
the  church  and  its  benevolences.  Do  not  be  afraid 
of  making  religion  sordid  by  introducing  finances.  If 
you  leave  them  out  you  are  likely  to  dwarf  the  spiri- 
tual life  of  the  new  member. 

Social  connections  are  important.  Plan  a  reception 
to  new  members  within  a  week  after  they  are  re- 
ceived. Make  it  an  actual  introduction  of  the  new 
members  to  the  church  people.  Do  not  stop  here. 
Definitely  arrange  for  intimate  acquaintance  on  the 
part  of  every  new  member  with  a  circle  of  church 
people.  Here  is  where  your  parish  organization  is  of 
importance. 

Watch  over  the  new  members  faithfully  until  they 
are  thoroughly  inducted  into  the  life  of  the  church. 
If  they  are  absent  from  the  Sunday  service,  call  them 
up  on  the  'phone  the  next  morning,  or  write  them, 
or  call  a  neighbouring  member  of  the  church  asking 
them  to  inquire;  or,  best  of  all,  call  upon  them  per- 
sonally on  Monday,  letting  them  know  that  you  missed 
them.  Here  again  the  parish  organization  is  most 
useful.  In  the  larger  churches  committees  should 
be  set  to  attend  to  this,  with  or  without  the  pastor's 
cooperation. 

Assign  some  responsibility  to  every  new  member. 
Each  one  should  be  introduced  to  the  department  of 
church  life  which  Is  appropriate — the  women  to  the 
women's  organizations,  the  young  people  to  the 
young  people's  organizations,  etc.     Usually  there  is 


118  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

need  of  helpers  in  the  Sunday-school.  In  many 
churches  the  choir  needs  new  material.  Every  pas- 
tor knows  what  needs  to  be  done  in  the  church  and 
through  the  church  in  the  community.  Church  mem- 
bers who  are  doing  something  worth  while  for  the 
church  will  not  lose  their  interest  in  it. 

Other  ways  of  enlisting  new  members  will  sug- 
gest themselves  to  the  ingenious  pastor.  The  im- 
portant thing  is  that  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  go 
unattended  to  for  the  lack  of  plan. 

Continuation  of  Evangelistic  Campaign 
Many  pastors  are  finding  it  of  great  service  to 
continue  a  quiet  campaign  for  church  members  after 
Easter,  looking  forward  to  a  reception  of  new  mem- 
bers on  Mother's  Day,  Children's  Sunday,  or  on  some 
Sunday  in  May  or  June.  There  are  always  some 
who,  though  willing,  cannot  be  present  at  the  recep- 
tion at  Easter  or  near  Easter  and  others  who  made 
the  decision  too  late  to  be  received.  For  those  pas- 
tors who  conduct  their  pastor's  training  classes  after 
Easter  such  a  reception  is  a  necessity.  If  the  church 
understands  that  the  work  of  the  church  does  not 
end  with  Easter  it  will  be  encouraged  to  look  at  the 
program  as  an  all-the-year-forward  movement. 

The  Absentee 

All  the  denominations  suffer  great  loss  each  year 

through  the  neglect  of  the  absent  member.    The  ideal 

is  for  the  member  to  move  his  church  letter  along 

with  his  other  possessions.    But  in  many  thousands 


AFTER  EASTER  119 

of  cases  this  is  not  done.  As  a  result  great  numbers 
are  lost  to  the  church  each  year. 

Some  pastors  try  to  keep  in  touch  with  their  absent 
members  and  all  should  do  this  until  these  find  a 
home  in  their  new  community.  It  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  those  absent  will  continue  an  interest  in 
the  home  church  unless  the  home  church  keeps  alive 
an  interest  in  them.  Where  pastors  have  tried  to  do 
this  by  sending  copies  of  all  church  printed  matter 
and  an  occasional  personal  letter,  losses  are  greatly 
reduced,  for  those  absent  continue  an  interest  in 
their  home  church  until  new  ties  are  formed  in  the 
new  community. 

The  following  suggestions  as  to  reclamation  of 
absentees  have  been  used  by  many  churches  to  very 
great  advantage.  First,  every  pastor  should  list  with 
fair  accuracy  all  of  his  church  who  are  faithful  in 
attendance  upon  its  services  and  its  support. 

Study  the  roll  carefully.  Make  a  list  of  de- 
linquents. Obviously  no  wide  circulation  should  be 
given  to  this  list. 

Plan  definitely  some  scheme  of  reenlisting  every 
single  individual  on  that  list.  Avoid  generalities  in 
this  particular.  Regretting  unfaithfulness,  yearn- 
ing for  the  unfaithful,  scolding  the  faithful  about  the 
unfaithful,  even  praying  for  the  unfaithful,  will  avail 
but  little.  Definite  planning  for  particular  efforts  to 
reach  a  certain  person  is  likely  to  be  effective. 

Use  your  parish  organization;  that  is,  let  district 
committees  be  responsible  for  definite  endeavours  for 
particular  persons.  Sometimes  calls  by  different 
parties  arranged  for  by  committees  is  helpful.     Per- 


120  PAEISH  EVANGELISM 

sonal  invitations  to  special  occasions  and  regular 
services  should  be  given  repeatedly.  Social  ties  are 
strong. 

Invitations  to  social  affairs  given  by  individual 
church  members  where  the  disinterested  become  ac- 
quainted with  active  church  people  are  useful.  In- 
vitations to  social  events  will  not  be  refused  when 
invitations  to  church  services  might  be. 

Pastoral  calls  are  essential  in  this  connection. 
Formal  calls  are  better  than  none,  but  the  pastor 
should  have  a  plan  and  a  definite  aim  when  he  calls 
upon  those  estranged  from  the  church.  Let  him  go 
with  a  request  to  which  an  answer  needs  to  be  given. 
There  is  some  special  service  which  you  want  them 
to  attend ;  some  particular  work  you  want  them  to  do ; 
some  information  which  they  can  give.  Whatever 
other  pastoral  calling  has  to  be  omitted  do  not  omit 
this. 

Use  the  mails  in  getting  the  attention  of  those  who 
have  forgotten  the  church.  Write  personal  letters; 
get  the  other  members  of  the  church  to  write;  send 
printed  matter.  Mail  a  calendar  every  Monday  to 
those  who  do  not  attend  the  Sunday  services. 

Ask  aid  from  the  people  who  are  forgetful  of  the 
church.  Let  it  be  a  service  by  the  church  to  some 
one  else,  rather  than  a  service  to  the  church.  Ask 
for  money  with  which  to  do  some  disinterested  piece 
of  work.  Likewise  ask  for  some  personal  service 
that  is  altruistic,  though  at  the  same  time  a  real  part 
of  the  church  program. 

Too  strong  emphasis  cannot  be  placed  upon  the 
importance  of  this  reclamation  work  because  every 


AFTEE  EASTEE  121 

person  whose  name  is  upon  the  church  roll,  but  whose 
interest  is  lacking  is  a  stumbling  block  in  the  way  of 
the  progress  of  the  church. 

A  number  of  pastors  are  carrying  forward  defi- 
nite programs  of  evangelism  in  the  post-Easter  period 
as  follows: 

1.  A  second  Pastor's  Training  Class  for  the  train- 
ing of  young  people  to  be  received  into  the  church 
membership  on  Children's  Day  with  a  special  recog- 
nition service. 

2.  The  continuation  of  special  forms  of  evan- 
gelism with  the  reception  of  new  members  on 
Mother's  Day. 

3.  The  organization  and  development  of  an  Eas- 
ter Pentecost  campaign  with  the  reception  of  mem- 
bers on  Pentecost  Sunday. 

These  plans  are  especially  available  for  churches 
that  for  one  reason  or  another  were  not  able  to  join 
fully  in  the  Easter  campaign. 

Conclusion 
Many  subjects  that  should  have  been  treated  in 
this  book  have  been  omitted  because  of  the  limita- 
tions of  space.  The  ideal,  however,  has  been  to  pre- 
sent the  outlines  of  a  workable  program  of  church 
activities  from  which  each  pastor  will  select  those 
which  fit  in  best  with  the  needs  and  opportimities  of 
his  parish.  Every  church  must  have  some  program 
for  enlistment.  Upon  those  pastors  who  plan  their 
programs  and  carry  them  through  rests  in  a  large  de- 
gree the  future  of  the  Church  of  God. 

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QUESTIONS  OF  THE  DAY 


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JOSEPH  FORT  NEfTTONy  P.P. 

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Everyday  Religion 

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